The honeymoon's over.

The Harvard varsity lightweight crew, previously undefeated in the East, fell to Princeton and Yale Saturday in New Haven, on the Housatonic River.

Rowing in the late afternoon because windy conditions made the scheduled morning competition impossible, the Crimson covered the 2000-meter course in 5-56.1 to the Tigers' 5:50 and the Bulldogs' 5:52.9.

"They're not boats that we can't beat," said stroke James Sheldon, "but we've got a lot of work to do."

Before the Eastern Sprints two weeks hence, the Crimson's work will have to involve discovering why it faded in the second thousand meters of Saturday's contest.

"In the second half, something went out of the race," said sophomore seven-man Chris Wendland, "and I haven't been able to put my finger on a what it way."

In the first half of the race, Princeton and Harvard--which has non lost twice to Yale, at the San Diego Crew Classic and on Saturday--led the Elis, but at 790 meters the Crimson literally took a turn for the worse.

On one of the course's numerous curves, Harvard moved in from the outside lane--an automatic disqualification or time penalty anyway--"then we sort of faded," Sheldon said.

Bearing little resemblance to the crew that had beaten Dartmouth, MIT Coast Guard and Navy Senseless, Harvard watched as both opponents passed by.

A not-especially-powerful sprint exacerbated the fading and gave Princeton an open-water lead on the Crimson.

The Harvard J.V. was move successful in its Tiger-hunting, however, taking a lead over the winding body of its race and then outsprinting Yale, 5:58.2 to 5:59.1.

"I'm very pleased as proud," said coxswain Mike Mollerus, an advanced-standing senior who, like junior oarsmen Peter Herbig, Trip Switzer and Kevin Bedell, had never beaten Princeton."

After a fast start, helped along by the somewhat diminished "roaring failwind," Mollerus's boat countered Yale's and Princeton's flutter's increases in the stroke cadence--with bursts of power that left the Crimson in control.

"Though the body of the race," the cox said, "We were untouchable."

The previously undefeated first freshmen weren't however--the Yardlings finished five seconds behind Princeton. The third varsity edged Yale, and the second frosh likewise downed Princeton.