Jesse and Zander Kirkland fell of the pace at the 49er World Championships in Croatia today.After six qualifying flights and one drop the local sailing siblings are 17th in the 74-boat fleet.The Kirklands began today on a bad note when they were black flagged (disqualified) in the opening race off the shores of Sailing Club Uskok who are hosting this year’s 49er World Championships.They did, however, bounce back with a respectable fifth place showing in the second qualifying flight before ending the day with a 16th place finish in the 24 boat Red fleet.Despite slipping down the overall leaderboard the Kirklands remain on course to qualify for the Gold fleet after the qualifying series concludes tomorrow.Bermuda are among the 13 countries vying for the five remaining Olympic slots in Croatia.During the opening day of the regatta the Kirklands posted finishes of sixth, first and fourth to get their Olympic qualifying bid off to a flyer.