The 1900 Olympic yachting races for the two larger classes of boats were held off Le Havre, France. In the Open Class (over 20 tons), Harry Van Bergen sailed his 102-ton Formosa into third place over a course of 40 nautical miles. Van Bergen was also a member of the international jury for the 1900 yachting races.
The Van Bergens were amongst the first Dutch settlers in the area that later became New York and an ancestor of Harry’s raised a militia regiment during the American Revolution. The family became rich through trade and Harry’s father relocated to Paris where the family lived on the Champs-Élysées. Harry helped to found the American Hospital in Paris before leaving for England where he bought Ferney Hall in Shropshire. After becoming a British subject in 1915 he served as High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1924.
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