Shifting breezes undid the Harvard sailing team this weekend in the Schell Trophy Regatta on the Charles River Basin.

M.I.T. topped a strong field of 14 that included such unlikely schools as Old Dominion from Norfolk and McGill from Montreal. The Crimson, represented by Jim Lankton in "A" division and Bob Whitesides and Lange Rust in "B," finished sixth.

Lankton and Whitesides rolled up three firsts between them, but faltered on Sunday when the light breezes became even lighter, and began to shift unpredictably.

Coast Guard finished a close second to Tech, Rhode Island was third, Brown fourth, and Tufts fifth. A complete round robin was sailed; "A" division competed in Tech Dinghies while "B" sailed in Harvard's Interclubs.

The Crimson has failed to live up to its pre-season promise, largely because Tim Prince is ineligible this year. Last spring Prince emerged as one of the top skippers in New England and team manager Guy Carden has had a hard time finding a replacement with his winning touch.

Seniors Wilson Halley and Whiteside have carried most of the load, along with Donald Brewster and Lankton, both sophomores.

Cliffie Sailors Place

Despite first and fifth place performances, 'Cliffe sailors ended up 12th in a 15 school meet for women's colleges last weekend at the Community Pavilion. This drop in overall rating was due to the fact that there were not enough Cliffies to enter all divisions of the race.

On Saturday, Linda Little skippered and Irene Leary crewed for Radcliffe, coming in fifth in their division of seven schools.

The Cliffies gained strength on Sunday as Michele Disario and Susan Bean piled up a total of 24 points in five races to eke out a first place division victory for the day. Georgetown and B.U. glided in close behind with 23 and 21 points.

M.I.T. sponsored the meet and copped top honors with an overall score of 156 points to Radcliffe's 40.