Lenny DeSilva’s hopes of competing in the gold fleet in the 49er class the European Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal, took another hit on Thursday.

The Bermudian sailor, and Belgian team-mate Jan Van Maercke, struggled in the light breeze with finishes of 29th, 21st and 30th leaving them in 87th position among the 91-boat fleet.

“It was quite light and about six knots max, so a very difficult day,” DeSilva told The Royal Gazette.

The pair’s hopes of advancing to the Gold Fleet to compete for honours are already looking slim after only four races of the 17-race qualifying series.

Asked if he still has a shot at going the distance at the regatta, DeSilva added: “Possibly, I am just trying to balance my expectations with reality.

“If we get a bit more breeze we would be in position to do some damage. We have trained extensively in the higher wind range and very little in light breeze.

“Sailing in light wind requires a more delicate touch and seeking out and exploiting every gust in the goal in that situation.”

The eventual winner of the regatta will clinch the sole Olympic qualifying spot up for grabs, which DeSilva is not eligible for because of Van Maercke’s nationality.

“We were not hoping to qualify for the Olympics and I would need to team up with another Bermudian to pursue that,” DeSilva said.

“On that note, my ambition would be to qualify Bermuda for the 2028 Olympics.”

DeSilva and Van Maercke placed 30th in the sole race during the opening day of the championships on Wednesday before light wind brought proceedings to an early halt.

New Zealand’s Isaac Mchardie and William McKenzie lead the 49er class by a point over Keanu Prettner and Jakob Flachberger of Austria.