HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to an Olympic sailor and Clydeside campaigner from Kilmacolm who has died at the age of 95.

Hamish Hardie MBE passed away peacefully in Edinburgh on December 1. 

Keen seafarer Hamish and his wife of almost 70 years Elaine lived in Kilmacolm for more than 60 years and raised five children - Angus, Sarah, Alastair, Douglas and Susan. 

Hamish leaves behind 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Greenock Telegraph:
Hamish's son Angus, 65, told the Tele that his dad was always very fit and had 'good genes'.

He added: "My dad lived a long and happy life.

"He was always fit as a fiddle and was never really unwell until the very end of his life. 

"He was a big family man and we all had fantastic times together."

Hamish went to school in Glasgow and Edinburgh and gained a science degree from St Andrews University.

At the age of just 20, Hamish and one of his brothers Bonar competed as part of a five-man crew in the six-metres open sailing event at the 1948 London Olympics. 

The vessel they sailed on, Johan, was built on the Clyde by McGruers. 

Hamish joined the Royal Signal Corps and completed his National Service out in Egypt where he sailed on the Red Sea. 

He made it to the rank of second lieutenant and Angus says he was a 'top student'.

Angus added: "He really enjoyed the army and I think one of his regrets was that he didn't stay on. 

"He loved the regime of it. 

"If he had his time again, I think he would have made a career in the army."

After his National Service, Hamish started work for metal and steel pipe manufacturers Stewarts & Lloyds. 

When he was just 25, he was asked to go out to Canada to set up a company office in Calgary to help the company break into the oil industry. 

After almost a year, Hamish came back to Scotland and married his sweetheart Elaine in 1955. 

The couple moved out to Canada the same year and started a family. 

Greenock Telegraph:
Angus said he remembers some of the Hardie family's life out in the wilds. 

He said: "My dad bought a bit of land on the foothills of the Rockies. 

"We had a few close encounters with bears and I remember my dad taking us panning for gold. 

"I think my parents found coming from the west coast of Scotland quite constraining, so going out to Canada was an amazing escape."

The Hardies came back to the UK in the early 1960s and lived in Birmingham for a couple of years before settling in Kilmacolm in 1963. 

Hamish received an MBE in the late 1990s and was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde. 

The family rented Inchlonaig island on Loch Lomond for more than 60 years where their cottage was the anchor point for many family gatherings. 

In his retirement, Hamish set up his own company, Gryffe Boats, and made intricate models of ships to be given as corporate gifts. 

He also played a key role in bringing the Tall Ship Glenlee back to the Clyde and restoring the vessel. 

Hamish even got the chance to hold the Olympic torch when it arrived on board the Glenlee at London 2012. 

Greenock Telegraph:
Angus said: "He was a key figure in the whole Glenlee process and he was always very proud of that. 

"He threw himself into that in his retirement and it was a really nice project for him to be involved in."

Elizabeth Allen, vice chair of the Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, praised Hamish for his dedication to the project. 

She added: "We all owe a very great debt to Hamish for his long-standing endeavours and enthusiasm for the return, restoration, and preservation of this national historic ship.

"I knew Hamish for the whole time I have been involved with Glenlee and he was a genuine gentleman in the best sense of the word.  

"He was very knowledgeable, was determined to get Glenlee back and restored, and was dedicated to representing cargo sailing vessels and Clyde shipbuilding."