Tributes have been pouring in as the yachting industry mourns the loss of BOAT International's charter & brokerage editor Malcolm Maclean.
Malcolm sadly passed away on Monday morning after a short battle with illness. He is survived by his wife of 43 years Elizabeth and his stepson Chris.
Malcolm was BOAT International's longest-serving member of staff after joining the company in 1991 and a mentor to many. In his later career, he headed up BOAT's brokerage coverage, but for a long time also served with the commercial team.
"If I ever wanted to get from one end of the show to the other in less than 24 hours, it wasn’t advisable to walk with Malcolm," said Mark Duncan, director of marketing and business development at Fraser. "Everyone wanted to talk to him. In fact, it wasn’t so much ‘walking with Malcolm’ as ‘shuffling’… from one beaming happy face, a handshake and a “hi” to the next."
Stewart Campbell, editor-in-chief, agreed. "Everyone knew Malcolm. Every time I met someone new in this industry, they would invariably ask me, 'How's Malcolm?' Everyone had a story to share about him, and the affection for him was clear for all to see."
In his three decades at BOAT, Malcolm built a peerless network of contacts and established himself as the definitive source for brokerage news. Many brokers have shared fond memories of his regular phone calls. "A phone call from Malcolm was always the first thing we came to expect in the office after sending out a press release and we always knew that Malcolm would instantly pick up on any missing information," said Alice Ward and Peter Benett at Bluewater.
John Jacobi, a former broker, added: "One of my favourite parts of any transaction has been the interaction with Malcolm announcing the sale. The conversations were always genuine and that is something this business needs more of on a daily basis."
Designer Martin Francis said he remembered Malcolm fondly from the 1990s. "He used to phone me every year to persuade me to place an advertisement in the Superyachts Book. He was always successful because we had a ‘special deal’, no doubt he exercised the same charm with all of my peer group."
Meanwhile, fellow designer Tim Heywood recalled his "ready smile and sharp wit".
"Malcolm was a legend at BOAT International," said co-CEO of BOAT International Media Tony Euden. "I remember when I joined the company, he showed me around the Fort Lauderdale show for two days and introduced me to absolutely everyone. He will be sorely missed. It will not be the same company without him."
If you would like to share a memory of Malcolm or send a note of condolence, please email the editor: stewart.campbell@boatinternationalmedia.com