Lenny DeSilva has found the going tough on his debut at the European Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal.

The Bermudian sailor has has been competing against the world’s elite in the 49er class alongside Belgian team-mate Jan Van Maercke, but the pair have struggled throughout the first phase of the qualifying series, with a best showing of sixteenth in the first of three races contested in light breeze on Friday.

“Today was tough with yet again light and fickle breeze on the course,” DeSilva told The Royal Gazette.

DeSilva and Van Maercke find themselves 89th among the 91-strong fleet heading into the final set of races, which forms the last phase of the qualifying series.

Despite falling well shy of qualifying for the medal race, DeSilva says there are still positives to take away from the experience.

“I'm not at all disappointed in our performance and remain positive,” he added. “We are growing as a crew and see this experience as a process on an upward curve.

“It’s great to be competing with the world's best and I'm enjoying every minute of it.”

Austria’s Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl top the leaderboard by a solitary point over nearest rivals Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki, with Spain’s Martin and Jaime Wizner three points back in third.

As well as class honours, the eventual winner of the regatta will also clinch the sole Olympic qualifying spot up for grabs, which DeSilva was not eligible for because of helmsman Van Maercke’s nationality.

DeSilva, 33, has his eyes set on representing Bermuda at the 2028 Olympics in the double-handed high-performance dinghy.

Siblings Jesse and Zander Kirkland represented the island in the 49er at the 2012 Olympic Games in England, where they missed out on the medal race and finished nineteenth among the 20-strong fleet.