Bermuda’s Sebastian Kempe and Adriana Penruddocke have made promising starts at the ILCA North American Championships in Long Beach, California.

Kempe sits eleventh in the 46-strong ILCA 7 fleet and Penruddocke 37th among the 96 competitors in the ILCA 6 class after the opening three races of the qualifying series of the championship being hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.

Kempe came ashore with a 8-15-15 record while Penruddocke produced finishes of 26th, 29th and sixth.

The local pair will look to make further inroads in their attempt to secure their spot in the gold fleet heading into the final qualifying races.

Kempe and Penruddocke are competing in their second straight major international regatta having also flown the island’s flag at the world championships in China last month, where they finished 85th and 33rd in their respective divisions.

England’s Finley Dickinson and American David Coates topped the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 divisions after the opening day of racing.