The Harvard lightweight crew gave indications of things to come by sweeping to impressive wins in both the four and eight-oared shell competitions to highlight the sixth annual Head of the Charles Regatta on Sunday.

Seventy-eight Harvard oarsmen were among 911 competitors in 232 boats from 48 rowing clubs, colleges, and high schools in the U. S. and Canada. Sponsored by the Cambridge Boat Club, the Head is the largest regatta in the Western Hemisphere and provides a rare opportunity for competitive fall racing.

The varsity lightweight four claimed the first Crimson victory of the afternoon, breaking the course record to win the seventh event by 15 seconds over the Cambridge Boat Club, the defending champion.

Coxed by sophomore Ken Innes, the four oarsmen- Chuck Hewitt, Phin Spraque, Jim Richardson, and Tom Dryer- are all returning members of last year's undefeated squad, and are part of lightweight coach Steve Gladstone's reasons for optimism about next spring's racing.

Light Eight

Covering the course in 15:37 for the win, the lightweight eight coaxed by Fred Yalouris successfully defended the Boston Herald Traveler Trophy, won in last year's Head of the Charles. Winning oarsmen Al Kleindienst, Charlie Bradshaw, Dick Rutherford, Andy Narva, Howard Burnett, Kim Kiley, Dick Moore, and John Wolz are other reasons for the coach's high spirits.

Other Harvard competitors included professors Arthur Smithies, Alwin Papperheimer, and Reginald Isaacs, who finished eighth, fifteenth, and eighteenth in the Veteran Singles division. Professor Gail Pierson took fifteenth place in junior lightweight singles.

Three makeshift fours of Harvard heavyweights finished ninth, thirteenth, and nineteenth in their event, and Kirkland House's entry in the junior eight competition wound up twenty-third.

Up in the Air

The official results have not yet been released, pending comparison between stopwatch times and the photo-timer results. Also, the sweepstakes point championship, which Harvard won last year with three firsts, has not yet been awarded.

The three-mile course along the Charles is patterned after the English regattas, with boats being released every ten seconds and racing against the clock. Unlike conventional crew races, the Head tests the steering ability of the coxswains as well as the endurance of the oarsmen, and permits a much larger field of entries.