Test Snarls Radcliffe Yacht Racers

Red tape has temporarily entangled plans for a trio of Radcliffe yachting enthusiasts to race the Harvard yacht team.

Rona Jaffe '51, Felicia Reed '52, and Betty Trygstad '52 were all set to take on Commodore Pete Putnam and his men, when Radcliffe authorities stepped in to warn the three that they must pass a seamanship test before they may do any racing on the Charles.

Tripartite Test

The test consists of naming the parts of a boat, tying knots, and putting a dinghy through some elementary maneuvers. The trio expects to pass by next week, and then they will once more be ready to race the yacht team over a Charles River course.

As the Harvard yachtsmen had demanded, the race will be sailed with the losers' shirts at stake, an old crew custom that Commodore Putnam insisted should be carried over for this event. But the Radcliffe dinghy sailors warn Putnam that there will be some surprises in store for him if they should lose.

They remain confident, however, that the Annex's Cherry Red will sweep the Crimson from the Charles and send Putnam back to the Square shirtless.

The race arose when Radcliffe restored yachting to its official roster of sports after a war-time lapse. Immediately, the Annex trio issued its challenge, and Putnam was quick to accept for the Harvard yacht team.

Previous athletic relationships between Harvard and Radcliffe have generally been limited to crew. During the war, an Annex outfit whipped an informal Harvard eight when the Crimson boat mistakenly ceased rowing one bridge short of the finish line.

Putnam, however, vows he won't play the hare to Radcliffe's tortoise.