Bernard, Comte de Pourtalès

Bernard, Comte de Pourtalès, sailed with his uncle Hermann, Comte de Pourtalès and his uncle’s wife Hélène, Comtesse de Pourtalès on their yacht Lérina which won the first of the two regattas in the 1-2 ton class, and five days later the same crew were runners-up in the second race of that class. This made Hélène the first woman to compete at the Olympics and the first female Olympic medallist. Also, Hermann and Hélène became the first married couple win an Olympic medal.

Bernard belonged to the old Huguenot Pourtalès family, which had been raised to the rank of count in 1815 by the King of Prussia (the canton of Neuchâtel was, in fact, a Prussian principality until 1857). His father was the landscape painter Auguste de Pourtalès. Bernard also was a captain in the army. His life took him from his birthplace in Switzerland to his final days in Morocco.