Farewell to yacht design legend Mark Ellis

Story by Harris & Ellis / May 20, 2025

Author: Dave Harris

We are sad to report that Mark Ellis, co-founder of Harris & Ellis Yachts, has died at the age of 80 in Essex, Connecticut.

Mark was, above all, my friend. He was also my colleague, my business partner, my mentor. He was the guy who regularly dragged me out for lunch to his favourite local Indian buffet when we shared an office, which we did for more than 30 years.

I met Mark In 1973 with the launch of the C&C 48 Discovery, in Bronte Harbour. I had landed a gig as a full-time paid hand on the boat, thanks to owner Bob Grant and his son, Michael, whom I had met at university.

That year, Michael and I took Discovery to Florida. Mark sailed the SORC with Bob and his crew, then again when we sailed north to Newport for the Newport-Bermuda race. We finished third in class.

Later, Mark invited me to work with him on the Aurora Yachts program, which basically meant running around with my toolbox as chief yacht commissioner and hands-on boat yard guy. The first of his Aurora 40s was built by Henri Adriaanse in 1976, pioneering the advent of modern cruising yachts.

The same year, Mark and John Burn (both formerly of C&C Yachts) launched Burn & Ellis Yachts. Mark was the designer, and John and I handled sales out of our office in Oakville. It was a privilege to be on the front line as Mark rolled out the iconic Nonsuch and Niagara designs, along with innovative powerboats and motorsailers like Limestone, Legacy, Northeast, and Bruckmann. We worked with master builders George Hinterhoeller and Erich Bruckmann, yachting legends in their own right. When John left the firm in 1980, Mark and I regrouped as Harris & Ellis Yachts for a long and successful partnership.

Mark, an American, returned to the US in 2011 and focussed on his design practise in Essex, Connecticut. His passing earlier this month brought back a flood of memories. The last time I saw him was at the 2022 Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame inductions in Kingston, Ontario, where Mark made the induction speech for Gordon Fisher, the inspiration behind Nonsuch.

I will miss his friendship, his sardonic wit, and, yes, even the famous self-confidence that accompanied his brilliance. Fair winds, my friend.

Categories: Boat Building, General News & Announcements, Motor Yachts, Sailing Yachts, Yacht design

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