The New Zealand SailGP team is sitting second after their first day of racing in Saint-Tropez, France.
The Kiwi crew took two third place finishes as well as a fourth in the three fleet races overnight Saturday while the United States, skippered by Jimmy Spithill, scored two wins in light winds to be top of the standings. Spain are third.
New Zealand came into the fifth round of the series in fifth place overall, while championship leaders Australia struggled on the French Riviera and are last after the first day of racing.
"I wouldn't say we had a consistent day; we gave ourselves plenty of opportunities but made a lot of mistakes as well. It would be much better to have more points on the scoreboard," said Peter Burling.
"We are really excited by the challenges, we just haven't had much time as a group, but we feel like we are doing a really good job of learning and improving."
There are another two fleet races tonight before the top three final race.
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