In a change of scene, the Harvard light-weight crew spent about 24 hours together in an airplane last week.

The athletes were flying home from an all-expenses paid trop to Hong Kong, where they were one of two American teams participating in the annual Dragon Boat races.

The crew raced against approximately 90 teams from around the world competing in special dragon boats.

While the oarsmen made if only as far as the preliminaries, they just missed qualifying for the second round by a traction of a second. Among in Hong Kong Harbor, they faced happy seas, due in part to a large wake from passing freighters

"It made for a very tough race, "said Coach Robert Leahey, adding, "It was a deep water harbor and there's no way of practicing in similar conditions in Cambridge"

The origins of the festival date from the fourth century B C. and it commemorates the death of Chu Yuan, a legendary Chinese poet and patriot who cast himself into the Millow River in an act of protest.

In their first preliminary heat, an event open to all boats, the lightweights placed third and in the second event, for all international crews they came in fifth--just short of finishing with a qualifying time

Posting a record time, a team from the People's Republic of China finished first in both races.

The other American team, the U.S. Rowing from Philadelphia, however, failed to finish the race as their boat sank in the first beat "The boats are designed for really light people," said crew member Justin Kermond 84, adding. "We were lightweight but still significantly heavier than most of the other crews there"

The Chinese crews are made up of short, stocky guys, which gives them an advantage he said.

The U.S. Rowing team finished fourth overall.

Because of the weight problem, the Harvardians had to decrease the number in the boat from 20, the normal size, to 18.

The rowers raced in the traditional dragon boats, which are very different from a normal crew shell. The 43 feet long, five feet wide structure, made of teakwood, commonly have leaking problems.

A taikong (coxswain) beats in a drum in tempo at the front, with an oarsman at the rear.

The boats carry a horned green dragon head at the stem and a green tail at the bow, They must be "blessed" before the vessel can be called seaworthy, in a ritual where the pupils of the dragon eyes are "dotted" in.