Val joined Noonsite over 20 years ago when Jimmy Cornell and his daughter Doina and son Ivan, co-founded the site. Over the two decades she worked with Noonsite, she helped it grow and develop into the indispensable planning tool that it is for cruisers worldwide today.

Val was a pioneer in the computing world during her working career, running her own buisness as a softwear engineer in the 1970’s, 80’s & 90’s. She then became a freelance computer consultant and when looking for extra work she happened to notice the Noonsite advert in a sailing magazine. As a keen sailor her skill set fitted perfectly with the work required on such a new website. Val was responsible for establishing all the country and port information on the site and keeping it updated. Over the years she became particularly proficient with EU rules for international yachts and much of the technical side of cruising, and helped a great many Noonsite users with queries.

As a sailor she studied for all the theory and practical RYA courses and achieved Yachtmaster Offshore. With her all-women crew, she chartered yachts around the coast of the U.K. and Ireland, France, and Greece. Then in 1994 she and a friend bought a Corribee (21ft bilge keeler) and enjoyed several years sailing the south coast of England. They soon traded up to a larger Verl 900 and started sailing across the English Channel to France, before deciding to base the boat permanently in Brittany.

Val particularly loved contact with other sailors from all over the world through her work with Noonsite, and the feeling that the Noonsite team she was part of were providing a valuable service for them.

Before she retired in 2019, Val worked very hard to help with the move of Noonsite on to its new modern platform, a lengthy exercise in patience and accuracy ensuring all the old material was copied over correctly.

Doina Cornell, co-founder of Noonsite said, “I was very sad to hear the news of Val passing. We worked together right at the start of Noonsite, and I remember when we put an ad out for someone to help, how nice it was to find the best applicant for the job was living just up the road. Val was always a pleasure to work with, she was such a pleasant, positive and cheerful person. I know she will be sorely missed, and my thoughts are with her family at this sad time.”

“Val will always be a part of Noonsite”, says Sue Richards. “She was such a great mentor for me when I first started as Noonsite Editor, with all those years of knowledge and we quickly became good friends. Not a day goes by when I think – how would Val deal with that? I will never forget her dedication to the site and her fun-loving attitude to life.”

Val was a much loved wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She is survived by her husband Eric Ellis, brother Richard Edwards, son Richard Ellis (Clare), daughther Elizabeth Rorstad (Elmer) and four grandchildren Rhian, Harry, Samuel and James.

Soar above the waves Val . . .