Varsity Yachtsmen Win on Charles; Crimson Boats Swamp Elis, Tigers

In one of the most surprising upsets of the season, Crimson yachtsmen swept to victory in the Big Three Championships last Sunday on the Charles.

The three Crimson boats, skippered by Carter Ford, Mike Lehmann, and Mike Horn, swamped a highly touted Princeton team 156 to 141, and left Yale trailing in the wake with 128 points.

Princeton had won the meet for two straight years and was nearly everybody's favorite to take it again. But an unexpectedly strong performance by the Crimson, especially in the last four races, gave Harvard the decisive edge and the Arthur Knapp Trophy.

Ford, with three first places and three seconds, was high-point skipper of the regatta. Both Lehmann and Horn, skippering for the first time in intercollegiate competition, provided needed depth and were largely responsible for the Crimson upset.

Crimson Overtakes Ells

Yale took an early lead in the flukey, light southwest wind, and the Crimson Tech dinghies did not make their bid until the middle of the eight race regatta. In two of the last four races, the Crimson sailors took first, fourth, and fifth places and virtually assured a Harvard victory.

Lou Natenshon crewed for Ford, Dave Parker for Lehmann, and Phil Tobey for Horn.

In other sailing action over the weekend, a Crimson team skippered by Ford placed second in the first elimination series for the New England Sloop Championships.

Sailing in the Raven class, the Crimson was hurt by poor starts in the first and last races. The second place finish, however, guarantees Harvard a place in the final competition later this fall.

A Crimson team skippered by Ford won the championship last year, and thus the pressure will be great in the finals to retain the Lawrence A. White Trophy for another season. Crew for Saturday's meet at New London were Peter Drake, Rock Pring, and Mike Horn.

If the Crimson yachting club can maintain the form that won Sunday's Big Three Championship, the year may yet turn out much more hopefully than pre-season polls indicated.