Tiburon, one of two Bermuda entries in the fleet, lost further traction on the leaderboard on day three of the Etchells World Championship in San Francisco Bay.

Starting the day in third, Tiburon’s crew, which includes Grant Simmer, the general manager of Oracle Team USA, fell four places further down the pecking order after coming back ashore with a 24-26 record for the day in the steady 8-10 knot westerly breezes.

The team is led by skipper Dirk Kneulman, who jointly owns Tiburon along with Royal Bermuda Yacht Club skipper Mark Watson, who is not competing after injuring a knee.

Etchells boat builder and past world champion Kneulman sails out of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, but is racing under the Bermuda flag as the team qualified for the championship competing in the local Etchells fleet.

Maintaining pole position was the New York Yacht Club entry, KGB, that posted a 3-1 record on the day with skipper Senet Bischoff at the helm to protect their overnight lead, which they snatched from Tiburon on day two.

Continuing their steady ascent on the leaderboard was skipper Scott Kaufman whose crew on board American Jane II includes Bermuda Olympian Jesse Kirkland.

American Jane II thrived in the conditions, posting a first and sixteenth, to climb from fourteenth to seventh.

“We have been able to throw up a couple of solid scores since our disappointing first day,” Kirkland said. “Without a doubt this fleet is insanely competitive with very little margin for error, so we are excited with how we have bounced back.

“Looking ahead, we are feeling good about how the boat is moving and the team chemistry, and are hoping for continued improvement.”

American Jane II’s crew also includes Olympic silver medal-winner and past Optimist world champion Lucas Calabrese, who trained with Kirkland under Bermuda Optimist coach Pablo Weber in the Nineties.

The remaining Bermuda entry in the 51-boat racing fleet, Thrash, helmed by multiple national champion Tim Patton, slipped one place from 43rd to 44th after crossing the line in 46th in both races.

The championship, hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, concludes today.