Benn Smith fell short of his primary objective at the World Cup Series Miami, but said there are still positives to take away from the experience.

He had aimed to qualify for the gold fleet in the Laser class on his debut at the event. However, his hopes were dashed despite a battling display during the second day of the regatta yesterday.

Smith produced finishes of 27th and 32nd in the third and fourth races, which left him in 70th among the 101-strong fleet — well shy of where he needed to be to make the cut.

“Going into today [yesterday] there was a good chance [qualifying for gold fleet] if I could keep in the top 25 in both races,” he said. “I was in that position to get those results during both races, especially the first where I was leading at one point.

“I was able to tack and cross the fleet and was doing quite well around the top mark in tenth. I ended up having a bad second upwind. In the second race I had a bad start, but I was able to come back a little bit up the first beat but then struggled.”

Smith said he is encouraged by the progress he is making towards his Pan Am Games qualifying bid.

“With Pan Am qualifiers coming up in [Lima] Peru next month [where the Games will be held] I am beating all the people I need to in order to get the spot,” he said.

Meanwhile, also representing Bermuda at the regatta are siblings Cecilia and Michael Wollman, competing in the Nacra 17 catamaran.

The pair, who have already secured their place at the Pan Am Games, are 22nd in the 27-strong fleet after five races and a drop, with a best showing so far of eleventh.

Cecilia is on the helm while her sibling is serving as crew.