The waters of the Charles, which have long been used to float Harvard crews, are now being violated by another kind of boat which shares their ability to float home first.

Yesterday, the Harvard sailing team steered past a field of eight New England colleges to win a 15-foot Finn class regatta. Boston University was actually in the lead going into the eighth and final race, but acrobatics by high point skipper Bill Underwood gave him his fourth first and Harvard the meet, 70-69.

Jim Harper, who alternated with Underwood in skippering the single-handed boat, recorded two firsts and a second in the seventh race when the gusting wind, which caused 15 capsizes during the afternoon, blew him over.

Misfortune almost struck again in the final race as the hiking strap broke, dropping Underwood into the water. The game but wet senior clambered back on board in time to come in three boats ahead of the B.U. Challenger.

Other schools which competed were Boston College, M.I.T., Northeastern, Brown, Connecticut, and Stone Hill.

The sailors have a regatta of some kind every weekend in both the fall and the spring.

Last Saturday on the Charles, they came in second behind Princeton but ahead of Yale in the race of the Knapp Trophy. The next day they registered another second, this time to the host Coast Guard Academy in a five-team field.