Sailing Squad to Seek McMillan Cup at Navy

Crimson sailors expect stiff competition from Brown and Yale when they seek to capture the McMillan Cup, at the U.S. Naval Academy this weekend. The event will be sailed by 44-foot yawls in three fifteen-mile races.

Harvard has high hopes to capture the cup, collegiate sailing's oldest, despite the fact that it has narrowly escaped the last two Crimson crews.

In 1961, Harvard tied Navy for first but lost because the Middles had beaten Harvard in two of the three races. Last year, a collision with Navy in the first race prevented a Crimson victory despite first and second place finishes in the last two races.

Six of Harvard's eight crewmen have competed in previous McMillan Cup regattas. Skipper Carter Ford, relief helmsman John Marshall and foredeckman Mike Horn will be sailing for the third straight year.

Foredeck chief Mike Deland, foredeckman Mike Lehmann and cockpit crew Jann Weymouth have competed once before. Navigator Bobby Robertson, cockpit crew Dave Gantz and alternate Dave Stookey are the only newcomers.

In past years, the McMillan Cup has been won by famous yachtsmen such as Bob Bavler, George O'Day and Bus Mosbacher.

The regatta at Annapolis will be Harvard's first event of the spring season. Next on the Crimson's calendar is a defense of the Geiger Trophy at MIA on April 8.

In that contest Ford, Lehmann, Horn, Stookey, Gantz, John Archibald and two men not yet chosen will alternate as skippers in a series of team matches and should have little trouble disposing of sailors from MIT, Rhode Island and WPI.

The Harvard yachtsmen hope that victory at MIT will be their first step toward the national championship in June.