Harvard Sailors Run Aground at MIT; Radcliffe Sees Smooth Sailing at Tufts

The sailing teams split tacks in regattas this weekend as Radcliffe recorded a first-and Harvard a fourth-place finish.

The Radcliffe sailors triumphed at the Tufts Invitational held Saturday at Mystic Lake. "It was the first time we've won there in years," captain Pam Mack said yesterday.

Mack skippered in the A division and collected first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishes for a second in the division, scoring just behind Wellesley. Martha Kleinschmidt and Laura Brown were her crew.

Sarah Herrick and Lora Fleming co-skippered the 'Cliffe B-boat entry to a third-place division finish.

Both Herrick and Fleming went for an unexpected swim during the second race after their boat capsized. "The gusts came in 90-degree shifts between the hills around the lake--it's hard to stay on top," Mack said yesterday.

Harvard notched a disappointing fourth-place finish behind Tufts, MIT and Navy in the Owen Trophy regatta held last weekend on the Charles.

Co-captain Tom Repps charted a winning course in the A division races and earned low-point honors for the meet. Co-captain Dave Poor crewed the A-boat.

The Crimson yachtsmen lost their wind in the B-division. Jim Hammett could do no better than sixth place in Saturday's competition and teammate Tony Leggett was the victim of two capsizes and a breakdown on Sunday.

"You catch a puff, your board goes, and you're gone," Poor explained yesterday.

Coach Mike Horn said yesterday that both teams showed promise over the weekend. "I was particularly satisfied to have Radcliffe do so well at Tufts in sloops," Horn said.

He added that he was very pleased with Repps's performance. "If Tony and Jim get going, we'll do really well this spring," he said.

Both squads will face stiff competition this weekend. Radcliffe will travel to Wellesley for league competition against a strong fleet, including last year's national champion, Princeton.

"Princeton will be tough. They're really fierce," Mack said, adding that both Wellesley and MIT have not done as well as expected this season.

Mack was optimistic about Radcliffe's chances for a repeat performance of last weekend's first-place finish. "The league is really even this year. It should be a good season," she said.

Harvard will have still more opportunities to find its finesse at the Dinghy Eliminations at New London, Conn., on Saturday; at the Single Handed Eliminations on Sunday at Yale, MIT, and Tufts; and at Monday's Greater Boston Championships at MIT.

SAILING CALENDAR

April 17-- Harvard-New England Championship Eliminations and Shields Invitational at Coast Guard, New London, Conn.

April 17-- Radcliffe-Regis Bowl at Wellesley.

April 18--Radcliffe President's Trophy at Boston University.

April 18--Radcliffe-Single-Handed Eliminations.

April 19-- Harvard-Greater Boston Championship at MIT.