A FORMER trawlerman who swapped sailing the high seas for crossing the Clyde as skipper of the Renfrew ferry has launched a fundraising drive for the RNLI which once saved his life.

Calum McKelvie and his crew – including his two sons – had to be airlifted from a boat in the Pentland Firth which was moments from breaking up after hitting a reef in stormy seas.

Lifeboats from Thurso and Longhope in Orkney were scrambled 2011 incident, which saw the men eventually flown to safety in Lossiemouth.

Calum said: “We were all lucky to be alive and it was down to prompt action by the RNLI and helicopter crews.”

Now, as ferry skipper on the far less treacherous waters of the Clyde at Renfrew, Calum is raising money for the lifesaving charity with collection boxes on the ferry and at the nearby Ferry Inn.

He revealed this week that the generosity of passengers and customers at the inn had so far raised £600.

And as special thank-you, Helensburgh lifeboat and crew sailed up to Renfrew to present a plaque to mark Calum’s support for the charity.

Ferry passenger Gemma Gibney accepted the plaque on behalf of Calum from RNLI crewman Pete Tindal.

Calum, originally from Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides and who now lives in Clydebank, said: “I am a qualified trawlerman and engineer and have been a fisherman all my life on seas around the coast of Scotland. I appreciate the important work the RNLI does and wanted to start a collection.”

Speaking about his fundraising drive, he said: “Everyone is very generous at putting cash in the collection boxes on the ferry and at the inn.

“The fare across is £1.70 and if people give me £2 they often say ‘keep the change’, so I thought all these thirty pences could be contributed to the RNLI.”

Keith Shipman, volunteer press officer with Helensburgh lifeboat, said: “Calum does an amazing job collecting from the passengers who cross the river between Yoker and Renfrew and we wanted to thank him and staff and customers at the inn for their support.

“They have collected over £600 in the past 15 months and we are very grateful.”

Inn manager Craig McWilliam also paid tribute to Calum’s fundraising efforts and the generosity of customers.

He said: “On Friday and Saturday nights, many people come across on the ferry from Yoker for a couple of pints at the inn and we are glad to welcome them.”

Both the ferry and the inn are steeped in history. Craig said the inn dates from 1829, and there is evidence of an original building on the site going back to 1503.

“It even survived the blitz,” he said.

The ferry crossing may date from medieval times, when the Renfrew became a Royal Burgh in 1396.