For Ynglingflåten på Askøy har Chris og Torbjørn gjennom mange år vært viktige pilarer. For denne innsatsen for klassen over mange år ble de under VM i Østerrike tildelt “Chris and Jan Harper Trophy for Yngling Publicity”. De er med dette de fjerde som får tildelt denne æresprisen. I innstillingen heter det:
Chris and Torbjørn are essential to the Yngling Class at Askøy/Bergen. They have been active since 2009 in restoring Ynglings and organizing training and regattas for the class. The activity got a boost when Askøy adopted nine Ynglings from the Royal Norwegian Navy. They had to be ready for the Military Worlds in 2013, along with their own three club Ynglings and several private. But this just became the tune-up for the Yngling Worlds in 2015 with 37 participants and now they shall host the Worlds again in 2026. Over ten years Askøy has provided a stable fleet of 25 Ynglings and then been the major contributor to the class in Norway. Especially in maintenance and care of the club boats Chris and Torbjørn have been crucial. The possibility to hire Ynglings at Askøy has made it easy for teams elsewhere to participate. This is probably the main reason why Yngling has become more popular in Norway the last years. Not only do we attract more sailors to the class, the quality of boats and crews have improved. In 2024 we got the first Norwegian World Champion since 1990, representing Askøy and Bergen. In addition I would like to mention the friendly and positive attitude that Chris and Torbjørn represents. They share their competence and knowledge with the rest of us, and set good examples to newcomers and old-timers in the Yngling class. This is vital to the future; an Yngling can live forever, but without personal commitment, the regatta class will not survive. And as we say in Norway: Once a Yngling, always a Yngling!
