Bermudian sailors Sebastian Kempe and Adriana Penruddocke have fallen out of medal contention after a rough week in the gold fleet in the Princess Sofia Trophy in Spain.

The Bermudian pair are competing against some of the world’s best in Majorca and, owing to the difficulties they faced on Wednesday and Thursday, can no longer medal when the regatta concludes on Saturday.

The final day’s racing for Kempe and Penruddocke is on Friday.

Kempe had better fortunes on Thursday, with the 19-year-old pleased with how he performed.

“I’m learning every day. The process today [Thursday] was very good but uncontrollable aspects got the better of me,” Kempe said.

“The starting percentage was high today and I was tracking pressure a lot better, so I’m happy with that.”

Penruddocke spoke of how she has learnt to adapt quickly out on the water, where she had to think off her feet.

“Today I found it another challenging day in the gold fleet where every decision counts,” the Olympian said.

“I’m learning more and more about how to be changeable, and adaptable in such a tight racing group.”

Shaun Priestley, the pair’s coach, commented on the contrasting fortunes for the sailors on Thursday.

“Sebastian had a better day in terms of his start and he’s battling his way through the fleet,” the coach said.

“For Adriana, we had a few issues with some of the equipment. She wasn't her usual self. She is usually a fast sailor in the strong winds but we didn’t see that.

“Because they qualified for the gold fleet and the level is high, they've had some really intense racing.

“They have had a lot of strategic lessons in the senior fleet. There’s lots of events coming and there’s always going to be lots of different conditions, so what you learn one day, you might not get to use that lesson until you get the conditions.

“We've got conditions at this event that we haven't seen for a while. Because of that, there’s been a lot of good learning around decision-making and the strategic stuff among the world’s best.

Going into racing today, Priestley expects Kempe and Penruddocke to continue putting in the hard work.

“We’re still positive because we know that the skill set from the guys is really high,” he said.

“We know that they are ready, we just need to attack the day and get it right. If they do that, they stand a really good chance of having good results.

“As they showed early in the week, the skill level is high in both sailors. We’re expecting a change in conditions on Friday, and we want to use that to our advantage.”

With the regatta in Spain marking the beginning of the Olympic cycle for the International Laser Class Association, Kempe and Penruddocke are eyeing qualification for LA 2028.

“It’s early into the Olympic cycle, so we’re ensuring that we have the skills to push for qualification,” Priestley added.

“That’s the target, to qualify for and perform at the Olympics. That’s the end goal for both sailors, for Adriana for the second time and Sebastian for the first time.

“Sebastian is going to the Junior American Games in August. This is a chance for him to qualify for the 2027 Pan American Games, where he can qualify for the Olympics.

“Adriana will go through the Pan American Games process when it starts. We know that the first Olympic qualification opportunity is in Brazil in 2027, so she’ll train towards that as well.”