Harvard's nine novice boats in Saturday's Tail of the Charles had an ulterior motive for shaving some seconds off their times--they wanted to get to The Game. So, while impatient friends gunned the motors of their Hertzes, three of the lightweight crews streaked into first, second and third places in their division and the three heavyweight crews pulled into fourth, fifth and eighth places.

"I still don't have any idea who won the race," Bill Spencer, bowman of the first heavyweight boat, said, adding, "I didn't mid waiting until Monday to find out the results--they wouldn't have done us any good in New Haven anyway."

Thirty boats from six New England schools gathered at the starting line in a drenching rain--and there were even fewer spectators huddled at the finish. The inclement weather made steering difficult, especially since the Tail was the first race ever for most of the oarsmen.

"It was a coxswains' race," Lisa Gianelli, who coxed the third lightweight boat to third place in the lightweight division, said, adding "The start, the bridges, and the headwind that day really tested a coxswain's skill."

Gianelli said the real test for her was her "encounter" with an MIT coxswain. "My boat was obviously faster and when I tried to pass the coxswain wouldn't give way." She added, "I probably lost several seconds trying to steer around, and just when I thought I could pass him we reached the Anderson Bridge which has a sharp turn and a narrow arch. So I sort of sent him into the bridge."

Another coxswain, Chris Shibutani, who steered the fifth boat to second place, unexpectedly edging out the second-ranked boat, said, "It was cold, miserable and choppy, but every boat had the same disadvantages."

Arthur Hollingsworth, seven-man on the heavyweight first boat, said his crew was well prepared for the Charles' chill winds, which were especially severe while the crews were waiting to dock. "The two-man carried a flask of brandy in his pocket--that warmed us up in no time," he added.

The lightweight first boat certainly was not dressed for the harsh conditions. All eight rowers and the coxswain sported bright Hawaiian sports shirts, each a variation of the loud floral motif.

The Tail is the only fall race for the men's novice teams, and coaches said it was not necessarily an indication of spring performance. The composition of boats will be changed between now and the spring season.

"The boatings were based on strength more than on technique," Spencer said. "Some combinations happened to work well together, others did not," he added.

As a result the first and second heavyweight crews finished only a few seconds apart and Shibutani's boat was able to upset the rankings. "Good blade work and set-up can more than make up for a difference in strength," Shibutani said.

Lightweight coach Bob Leahy said he was pleased at the performance of both crews. "The first boat beat the next lightweight crew by nine seconds, which is a pretty comfortable margin," Leahy said. He added, however, "that doesn't mean we don't have anything to worry about."