Bermuda 2012 Olympic sailing hopefuls, Zander and Jesse Kirkland, are having a tough time of it at their first major 49er regatta at the World Championships in the Bahamas.

The Kirkland brothers began Monday's racing with a solid 17th place but then finished 28th and 30th to end the day in 48th position overall out of 62 entries.

Yesterday the Bermudian duo endured bad luck in two races, failing to finish both which has pushed them back to 53rd place with a total of 107 points.

Leading the regatta after five races are Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes from Great Britain who have recorded finishes of 4, 2, 1, 2, 3 for a total of 8 points while the team from Spain, Iker Lizarduy and Xabier Fernandez are second with 12 points.

The Italian team of Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello are third with 13 points while defending world champions from Australia, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, are fourth with 14 points.

The Kirkland brothers left Bermuda on Boxing Day for the Worlds and had their 49er skiff shipped down to the Bahamas in December from the US.

After these championships they will make the short flight to Miami where the North American 49er Championships will be held after which they will continue training out of the US Sailing Center in Coconut Grove before competing in the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta at the end of January.

Jesse, 21, is an All American and a standout on St. Mary's College sailing team in Maryland while older brother Zander, 26, works in California.

The World Championships are the first of a number of regattas for the brothers in their push to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

The 49er is a double-handed twin trapeze boat and was first used in the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.