Yesterday offered arguably the best conditions the world matchracing yachting championships have experienced on Waitemata Harbour all week but it wasn't the most pleasurable day for New Zealand's Jessica Smyth.
The 23-year-old and her crew of Aimee Famularo, Sandy Kiff and Annad de Fluiter were beaten 2-0 byFinland's Silja Lehtinen in the quarter-finals sailed in 10-14 knots and flat seas.
Smyth was then defeated by Germany's Silke Hahlbrock and Nicky Souter of Australia to finish the regatta eighth.
Two penalties, one in the second race against Lehtinen and the other in her final race against Souter, virtually derailed her chances but she was reasonably happy with the week considering she came in as the world's 20th-ranked sailor.
"We didn't have too high expectations because we came in as the second-lowest ranked team. We got eighth in the worlds last year and were looking to improve on that," she said. "Eighth this year is good but when you qualify [for the quarter-finals] sixth it's not a nice feeling to drop to eighth."
Smyth's world ranking is expected to improve after her good showing last week and she knows she will need to race more often in Europe, finances permitting, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
Women's matchracing is expected to be added and Smyth has her sights on competing.
Meanwhile, France's reigning world champion Claire Leroy is ahead 2-0 in her semifinal against Great Britain's Josie Gibson, while Lehtinen and former world champion Liz Bayliss (US) are locked 1-1 in their best-of-three semifinal.
