Stonehaven fisherman rescued after capsize

A fisherman known as Stonehaven’s ‘Banksy’ has been rescued after his creel boat capsized near Stonehaven Bay.

According to eyewitnesses, Jim Malcolm (pictured above), aged 72, clung to his upturned boat ‘for a good 20 minutes’ after being hit by a freak wave off the rocks at Cowie on an otherwise calm morning.

The incident, which occurred shortly before 9am on Tuesday, 21 November, sparked a multi-agency response, with Stonehaven RNLI and search and rescue helicopters tasked to attend.

Mr Malcolm was airlifted from the vessel before being transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The alarm was raised by Craig Pollard, 18, who told the Press and Journal: “I was waiting in my work’s van at an old folks’ home when we saw the boat going along in the distance when all of a sudden it was hit by a big wave. I saw the boat flipping over and I called 999. I didn’t know what to do other than make that phone call. I wish I could have done more.”

Stonehaven RNLI said it had been tasked by HM Coastguard to attend following reports of a capsized vessel near Stonehaven Bay. “Coastguard Rescue teams, Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service and Bond SAR were also tasked. “The casualty was recovered by helicopter and transferred to hospital. Stonehaven RNLI volunteer crew inspected the hull of the casualty vessel, and confirmed it was not leaking oil or fuel and was not a hazard to other vessels,” it said.

In 2019, Jim Malcolm was unmasked as the man behind a series of sculptures that had been mysteriously appearing around the town over a period of 15 years, earning him the moniker ‘Stoney Banksy’.

Last year, he was featured in Fishing News after crafting a sculpture of Ian Balgowan’s iconic vessel Harvester A 865 following its sale.

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.

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