He added: "Callie doesn't know her sister has died and we are planning to tell her this morning. The family is meeting to break the news.
"Garry is in a hell of a state, the whole family is."
Mr Mackay was speaking at his home on the outskirts of Inverness after returning from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow where Grace died on Monday afternoon.
He was at her bedside with his son and Grace's mother Wendy Macdonald when doctors told them she had passed away.
"We had a fair idea when we arrived at the hospital that she was in trouble but we held on to a little bit of hope that she would pull through," he said.
"We were just distraught, just gutted, we can't believe it. To see her photograph all over the place is horrendous."
Mr Mackay said the Canadian canoe in which the families set out to circumnavigate the uninhabited island of Longa, off Gairloch peninsula, belonged to Mr Beaton.
He added that his son and Mr Beaton were great friends and had been on "thousands of fishing trips" and "hundreds of hill climbing trips" together.
"They absolutely doted on their kids," he added. "They went away with them all the time."
He said the fathers had considerable experience of boats and he believed they had been out in the canoe on many occasions, although he did not know if they had taken the children out on the sea before.
The families were on a day trip from their homes in Muir of Ord and Beauly when the tragedy happened.
Mr Mackay added: "They knew what they were doing, it was just another day outing with the kids. It was just a fun, family outing that became a tragedy."
The Mackay family released a statement yesterday describing Grace as a funny, caring, thoughtful daughter and granddaughter who was "full of life, who loved animals and being outdoors".
They added: "She adored her family and was our beautiful angel. We are devastated by the loss of our best friend."
Graham MacKenzie, a Muir of Ord councillor, paid tribute to Callie's efforts, adding: "She must have been absolutely terrified, the poor soul. But what a brave young girl.
"I just hope she has the strength to be able to cope with the memories of that in the coming days and years.
"I think that the whole notion that a young family or two young families go out on a day trip to the seaside and it ends in this fashion is just very hard to come to terms with for all of the community."
As both families were comforted by relatives yesterday, the search continued for Mr Beaton, a digger driver, who was seen by Mr Mackay disappearing underwater after the boat capsized.
His son Ewen had just started school at Teannassie Primary School, near Beauly, where his mother Joanne is a cleaner, and his brother Jamie was due to begin nursery in the New Year.
Highland Council said the 61 children at the school, and their teachers, were receiving specialist support.
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