Jesse and Zander Kirkland enjoyed a dream finish to last week’s ISAF World Championships, posting three firsts and a second in their final four races.And while it wasn’t enough to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games it certainly boosted their confidence, showing that they can compete with the best in the 49-er class.Poor finishes and DNFs earlier in the regatta in Perth had already dashed their hopes of earning a trip to London in 2012.The local sailing siblings eventually placed in the lower half of the 67-boat 49er fleet Down Under.“After the qualifying series, where we squandered many good races, it was nice to race well and put some good scores up,” said skipper Jesse Kirkland. “Though we did not qualify the country here, we gained valuable experience and confidence throughout the event, knowing we can compete with these guys.“Without a doubt it is a big boost to our confidence and we are still confident of our chances to qualify Bermuda for the Olympics.”There is a big buzz in the Kirkland family following the recent reacquisition of top Argentine coach Ramon, who will accompany the brothers at two Grade One regattas in Miami and Spain prior to the final Olympic qualifier to be held in Croatia next May.“We have secured funding for Ramon to coach us in Miami and also in Mallorca and we are excited for his input and support,” Kirkland said. “With the return of our Argentine coach for that stint of sailing, we are confident we can continue to improve and put together a good result in Miami.”All-American sailor Jesse Kirkland is encouraged by the recent progress made in Australia but reckoned there’s still room for improvement.“What we actually need to do is polish up our race tactics,” he added. “Over the last year and a half we have hammered away on improving boat handling and boatspeed, leaving very little time and focus on the actual sail boat race.“In the coming months practice racing will be a top priority as we felt we weren’t as polished as we’d like to be in Perth. Also we would like to work on our downwind speed and tactics, largely kite trim and approaching the leg with a plan for the blast down to the leeward mark. It is so easy with these quick boats to get caught up in the moment and lose focus on the strategy for the leg.“We came to this Worlds knowing that we would have to put forth a very good result to make it and unfortunately we fell short of that. We had the starting and the speed to play with the top guys, we just need practice hanging with these guys.“That is probably why it makes it all the more frustrating for us at the moment because we are there but just can’t close these good races out. We have two Grade One events before the final Olympic Qualifier in Croatia and this is what we will be working on. Once we are able to put it all together, the smarts we have with our new found speed, our results should consistently jump.”With only five Olympic qualifying spots available in Croatia, the local duo are wary there will be very little margin for error.“It will be a battle in Croatia and we will show up disciplined and ready to compete with the best in the world,” Kirkland said. “There are going to be close to 12 teams with a good chance of nabbing those final five spots but we have confidence if we sail to our potential we will put ourselves in a good position of qualifying.”Aussie pair Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen topped the 49er fleet at last week’s regatta.