Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn were the only Kiwi crew to make the medal series at the Olympic Classes Regatta in San Pedro, the first major event held on the LA2028 Olympic waters.
The 49er pair scored 7 and 5 across Sunday's two medal races to finish ninth overall. They had been near the front all week in a fleet of 140 competitors from 20 countries, including 27 Olympians and seven Olympic medallists.
Strong form follows them around at the moment. Kiel Week in June brought fourth place; fifth at the 49er Europeans in Eckernförde, Germany, came hard on its heels last month.
Those Europeans were won by fellow Kiwis Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush, who successfully defended their continental title. The pair arrived in San Pedro carrying further momentum from their maiden world title in Quiberon, France, in May, but narrowly missed the top-10 cut, finishing 13th overall.
Three places further back in 16th were Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren, the third New Zealand men's 49er crew.
In the Nacra 17, Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart placed 11th after posting seven top-10 finishes from 15 qualifying races, just missing the medal series cut. San Pedro's afternoon thermals were building noticeably by the time their final race went ashore, the kind of conditons that will define racing here in three years' time.
For all six sailors, the week delivered something results alone cannot: first-hand knowledge of the water they may yet race for gold on.
