After spending his early working years at sea as a deck apprentice Malcolm Macdonald came home to Stornoway in 1967 when he was appointed mechanic of the lifeboat. In 1979 he took over as coxswain/mechanic, a post which had earlier been held by his father. Only a year after becoming coxswain he was awarded the Institution's silver medal for rescuing 29 men from a fishing vessel on the rocks in a gale and very heavy seas. The daily upkeep of the lifeboat, a 52ft Arun class, takes up much of his time although carving the names of boats in wood and re-building his own boat are ways that he finds to relax..