Bermuda’s contingent lost ground on the leaderboard during the final day of racing at the Optimist World Championships in Riva del Garda, Italy, yesterday.

PJ Rodrigues, the island’s highest-placed sailor at the event, slipped five places from 137th to 142nd.

The 14-year-old Mount St Agnes student got off to a poor start after being black flagged in the first race of the day in the Bronze fleet for crossing the start line early.

Rodrigues fared much better in the second race, placing thirteenth to finish well inside of the top half of his respective racing fleet.

Kipling Rossouw fell from 162nd to 170th after posting finishes of 48th and 36th.

Jordan Vieira placed 51st and 30th to dip from 171st to 173rd.

Ethan Thompson was also black-flagged in the first race before placing 53rd in the second to fall from 154th to 175th.

Rossouw, Vieira and Thompson also competed in the Bronze fleet with Rodrigues.

Jack Adderley, the island’s remaining sailor at the championships, was black flagged in the only race contested in the Emerald fleet to slip from 203rd to 216th.

The local contingent also competed in the double-elimination team racing event where they beat Hong Kong convincingly but lost to Portugal and Puerto Rico.

Thompson was making his debut at an International Optimist Dinghy Association regatta while Rodrigues, Rossouw, Adderley and Vieira all competed at last month’s Optimist North American Championships in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.

Alex Di Francesco Kuhl, of Brazil, and Lomane Valade, of France, captured the boys and girls Optimist world titles.

It is the first time a Brazilian has won the individual fleet racing title.

Nearly 300 sailors from 57 nations competed at the Optimist World Championships being organised by Fraglia Vela Riva, Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, Garda Trentino and the Italian Optimist Class Association.