Yachtsmen Take First In Elimination Race, Conquer Coast Guard

Continuing a remarkable season, the Crimson sailing teaam grabbed first place in the eliminations for the New England Racing Championship on the Charles last weekend.

Crimson sailors, working with smooth, team precision, won nine of the ten races held during the series. Skippers Carter Ford, Mike Lehmann, Mike Horn, and Pete Farrow lost only to Bowdoin in the first of Sunday's races. Stookey sailed in place of Farrow on Saturday.

Bowdoin gave the Crimson real trouble throughout the meet. In both Saturday's and Sunday's races, one Harvard boat fouled out at the start, leaving only three Crimson crews in competition with four from Bowdoin. Saturday, in a dying wind and nearly total darkness, Stookey's last minute third place just gave the Crimson victory in the final race.

Crimson sailors had no trouble with the Coast Guard, the pre-series favorite but second place finisher. Harvard out-sailed the Coast Guard yachtsmen in both races by a 34 1/4 to 26 score.

Horn Loses Control

In the second Coast Guard race, Horn momentarily lost control of his boat when the hiking stick came off the tiller, and a puff of wind nearly capsized him. But, with his boat half full of water and the crew bailing furiously, he let the sail run free and managed to reach the finish line a few inches ahead of one of Coast Guard's ace skippers.

Both the Crimson and the Coast Guard qualified for the Fowle Trophy championships to be held at M.I.T. in Tech dinghies next week. They will compete against M.I.T. and Boston University, the qualifiers from another trial round.

Dick Olson, Rick Hicks, Pete Zorach, John Kimball, and Dave Gantz crewed last weekend for Harvard.