Sebastian Kempe will be looking to clear the first hurdle in his bid for a podium finish when the Laser Under-21 World Championships resume in Morocco on Thursday.

The Bermudian sailor is off to a solid start as he sits in second, a point adrift of leader Finley Dickinson, of England, heading into the final two qualifying races with a spot in the gold fleet well within reach.

Kempe endured mixed fortunes on Tuesday as he finished third and 17th in the two races contested in difficult conditions.

“Day two was a random day with very shifty winds,” Kempe told The Royal Gazette.

“It was incredibly difficult to stay in the top today but we pulled off some good races, which will help us out later in the week when the gold fleet brings all of the strong sailors together.”

The 18-year-old had momentum heading into the day’s racing having finished third and first in the opening two races of the qualifying series contested in stronger breeze.

“It was breezy and offshore making the conditions very difficult, but it was a good day nevertheless,” Kempe added.

“You can’t win an event on the first day but you can lose it, so it was a success because I didn’t make any big mistakes.”

The top 58 sailors after the completion of the six-race qualifying series will advance to the gold fleet to compete for the available podium places.

Kempe placed fifth at last year’s event in Vilamoura, Portugal and is competing for the first time on the African continent.