The Navy band played "Yo Ho, the Good Ship Harvard" at Annapolis Sunday as an right-man Crimson crew stepped before Senator Edward M. Kennedy '54 to the first place trophy in the first John F. Kennedy Memorial Regatta held last weekend.

Skippered by Ned Butler, Harvard's 44 Luder yawl sailed to victory over second place Wayne State of Detroit. Both teams finished with 28 points, but Harvard's half-mile win in the third and final race gave them the trophy.

Saturday's first race was slowed by winds. Battling for a third place, Harvard's bow crossed the finish line of a closely pursuing boat. The judges nevertheless gave the Crimson a fourth, as the opposing boat's inflated spinnaker crossed the line ahead of Harvard's bow. In the second race, again under light winds, Harvard was third.

A Bad Start

On Sunday, with Harvard in a tie for first place, the wind picked up. The Crimson started badly, however, and only began to pass boats when Butler cut across a strong mid-bay current to take advantage of milder water on the other side. On the last downwind leg, expert spinnaker work by Ken Burnes and smooth coordination by assistant helms-man Bill Cabeen helped the Harvard yawl catch both U.S.C. and Wayne State. The Crimson won by four and one-half minutes.

Chesapeake Bay was crowded with spectator boats out to watch the nine yawls compete over the 15-mile course. Third place went to Southern California, Tuane was fourth, and Navy fifth.

Navy Protests

Immediately after the race Navy protested that Harvard had turned inside a buoy marking the beginning of the last leg. The judges, however, ruled that Harvard had respected the buoy.

When the McMillan Cup races were moved from the spring to the fall this year, the Kennedy Regatta was scheduled for April. In 1933 the late President skippered the Crimson to a victory in the McMillan Cup. One of the skippers he beat, Robert Bavier of Williams, last summer won the America's Cup races as skipper of the Constellation.