Wood predicts this year's edition of the Rude and Smooth will do "reasonably well" in the club eights competition. "There's a wide range of conditioning on the boat," he said. "I work out pretty seriously all year round, but some guys haven't been in the boathouse. And we haven't practiced together yet. But we should be something like top five in our division."

Besides racing in the club eights, the crew plans to compete in the championship eights division, the final race of the day.

In that race, the Rude and Smooth is seeded 32nd, immediately following what Wood calls his boat's "closest thing to a rival"--the Alte Achter crew.

The Alte Achter (that's "Old Eight" for those of you whose German is rusty) is a boat of Olympic veterans--the crew competed in the 1972 heavyweight eights competition at Munich.

The boat has compiled a lengthy Head history, having competed in every regatta since 1972.

The Alte Achter's Harvard connection? Six of its oarsmen, as well as its coxswain, rowed for the Crimson.

And if those three, along with the nine Harvard and six Radcliffe crews, aren't enough for you, there's one more opportunity to watch a Crimson boat.

Harvard heavyweight coach Harry Parker will be racing in the senior masters single scull division.

Parker is seeded 39th in the competition--right behind Yale Coach Tony Johnson.

"That's a strange coincidence," Parker said. "In 1973 we also raced in the same event and, like this year, I was seeded right after him [Johnson]. I gained on him, but didn't pass him.

"I have a feeling our placement isn't so coincidental."

Parker said he can't guarantee a triumph over Eli tomorrow. "He's a pretty good sculler, so it should be a good race."

But with so many Harvard boats in the Head, something good is bound to happen.