Fisherman Douglas Craigie remembered for ‘sunny disposition’ at funeral as fundraiser surpasses £190,000

The funeral of one of the three fishermen aboard the Kilda, which disappeared off Lewis, has been held as his two crewmates remain missing.

Douglas Craigie, 49, was part of the crew of the Kilda alongside Murdo Morrison, 23, and Norman “Tam” Murray, 40, when it failed to make port on October 13.

The following day, Mr Craigie’s body was recovered from an area off Port of Ness in the north of Lewis.

On Friday, his funeral was held at Carloway Church, which was attended by his family, friends and those in the community.

Reverend William Heenan described him as having a “sunny disposition which could light up every gathering he was a part of.”

Mr Craigie was remembered for having a “great sense of humour and fun” and for being a talented singer.

He was well-known in the area and a familiar face amongst the fishing community, having been in the industry for much of his life.

In tributes following his death, he was called a “legend” and “true gentleman”.

Despite extensive search efforts both from the air and the water, involving specialist dive units, Mr Morrison and Mr Murray have still not been located and are being treated as missing people.

The fishing boat, Kilda, is also unaccounted for; however, police confirmed on Thursday that search teams had recovered items belonging to the vessel.

An exclusion zone was in place around the waters of Port of Ness, but the Marine Accident Investigation Board has since lifted these restrictions.

Search efforts have been hampered by adverse weather conditions, with a yellow weather warning for strong winds coming into force this weekend.

A GoFundMe page was set up in the aftermath of the Kilda going missing by the Western Isles Fisheries Association to raise money to support the families and all three fishermen.

The fundraiser has so far raised nearly £190,000 in just three days.