Thousands Flock to 'Head'

"It was a day for topsiders and the windblown look. The water was rough and the beer was smooth," Mary Niehaus of Smith College said yesterday, and that pretty much summed up Sunday at the 17th annual Head-of-the-Charles Regatta.

From the discarded beer kegs and the cars blaring music to the people dancing on Weeks Footbridge and the amateur photographers, it was clear that many of the spectators at the river were there more for the atmosphere than for an intense interest in rowing.

Perched precariously atop the railing of the Larz Anderson Bridge or stretched out over blankets on the banks of the Charles, the spectators jockeyed for choice vantage points.

"This is the big New England college reunion," Charlotte Smith, a graduate of Williams College, said.

"The Preppy Handbook would be proud," George Marcus, professor of political science at Williams, said smiling. And indeed, L.L. Bean sweaters, Lacoste shirts and chinos were out a the river in full force.

The overcast weather put a damper on the day for some people, but most remained unperturbed. Couples huddled together under blankets, while others fought the cold with beer.

"What a great excuse to party," Jay Gammell said. "This is real culture for everybody in Boston. If you're going to live in Boston this is one of the things you do."

Picnic lunches ranged from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to three-course meals served on white tablecloths. Sipping imported wine from crystal goblets, Maria Siciliano of Wellesley College described the day as "nice and decadent."

The race drew crew enthusiasts from all over the country.

Nancy price came from California's Bay Area to see her son Tom race, and Norma Clark traveled from Columbia, Mo., to see her son Dave compete.

No matter what their reason for attending the regatta, spectators agreed that the Head is a unique event.