Jim Macdonald RIP

[BEngo]

Jim left us on Thursday morning.

 

A long term boater, he owned and lived in Elizabeth for over 50 years,whilst owning several other boats over the years  His knowledge of  boats, and especially  historic ones , was encyclopaedic, so that he was a mine off good advice and the  'go to' surveyor for many owners of elderly craft.

 

His home made wines, especially the parsnip, were legendary, albeit a mainly lost legend  as few who tried the wines could remember much the following morning.  I seem to remember that the front under deck of his BCN day boat  Eileen was mainly homemade wines..  His Christmas/Birthday mince pies were equally and similarly memorable.

 

His boating style was perhaps best described as not for the faint hearted!

 

Another  of the cut's great  characters has left us.  We were lucky to know him.

 

N

 

 

[roland elsdon]

A life well spent.

Not conventional but so rich and diverse.

 

Rip Jim.

 

[Derek R.]

Proud to have known him. Boated many miles in his company. And yes - those wines . . . ! Not forgetting the musical sessions in certain pubs along the cut.

Edited July 17, 2023 by Derek R.

[Neil TNC]

A true star. In the early years Jim always did our bss, once he found a teeny gas leak actually in the hob, gas valve loose on the rail! He persuaded us get on the Ship Canal, doing a few free "Certificates of Seaworthiness" for us, MSCC could not argue with Jim's qualifications!

[frangar]

I first met Jim when he was recommended as a surveyor when I brought my boat from Cowroast 30 odd years ago & I was a young green 21 year old…he took his time with me  and explained what was what…we then met many times over the years at various rallies and pubs…he was the cause of a few hangovers! Sadly altzhimers took its cruel toll in later years but when we were just out of lockdown and we arranged a meet up at his house he met us at Wardle lock like the Jim we all knew….he was in his element when a boat was involved. I’m going to miss him…I now often past where Elizabeth is moored with her new owners and think Jim would be happy that she is now being well looked after…his character will live on. 

10 hours ago, BEngo said:

His boating style was perhaps best described as not for the faint hearted!

 

 

We once met him in Berko when travelling south to winkwell and paired up…he was lockwheeling on his trusty bike and his first wife steering Eileen…we never even got close to doing that time again…a truly excellent short trip! 

[alan_fincher]

Very sad.

 

Surely one of the best known canal characters, and a true loss.

 

RIP Jim, and our condolences to Annie.

 

 

[koukouvagia]

Such a sad loss to his friends, family and the wider boating community.  I miss listening to his boating stories and his wise advice on how to look after old boats.  Jim was one of the surveyors who really understood historic boats.

Condolences to Annie.

[zenataomm]

Condolences to Annie.
Jim was one of life's originals.

[ditchcrawler]

I first met him about 25 years ago on the GU at Christmas, I think it was Stoke Bruerne and Di and I were walking the towpath, we may have been on our share boat, that I don't know. Jim and several other boaters were sat on the tow path drinking. next thin glasses were forced into out hands and filled and we got a conducted tour of Elizabeth. Now remember we didn't have a clue who any of these people were and they didn't know us. Boaters hospitality.

[cuthound]

18 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I first met him about 25 years ago on the GU at Christmas, I think it was Stoke Bruerne and Di and I were walking the towpath, we may have been on our share boat, that I don't know. Jim and several other boaters were sat on the tow path drinking. next thin glasses were forced into out hands and filled and we got a conducted tour of Elizabeth. Now remember we didn't have a clue who any of these people were and they didn't know us. Boaters hospitality.

 

Similar to us.

 

We moored near him and I commented on what an unusual boat he had. Next thing we were invited in for the full guided tour, even though we were passing strangers. 

 

Lovely bloke with a lovely wife.

[Andy Hall]

Jim. Top Bloke. What more can you say. Always very helpful to me. Regards Andy.

[LEO]

He used to do my BSInspections, very helpful person, understood boats, and engines. His eyes lit up when he saw my 2LW, he had one and cheerfully told me how the one on 'Elizabeth' ran the wrong way when he caught a log on the prop.............easy to talk to, inspections seemed to last a long while.