Young New Zealand 470 crew Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders are prepared to adopt a safety-first approach to the Olympic campaign after a promising start to racing off Weymouth
The pair, both 21, were third and eighth in Thursday's two races to lie fourth overall.
Snow-Hansen said they were happy to hit the water after getting itchy feet watching others race and were planning to keep accumulating points.
"As long as we're in the money the whole way through then we've got nothing to worry about. We'll just keep doing what we are doing and not take any unnecessary risks," Snow-Hansen said.
The British pair of Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell had a first and a second to lead the event.
New Zealand's best-placed crew, the 49er combination of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, slipped down a place to third after a ninth and 11th.
Britons Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes won both races to leapfrog the Kiwis and now lie 11 points behind leaders Australia.
Windsurfer JP Tobin stays sixth after a fifth and sixth on his third day of racing, while Dan Slater was sixth and 15th to slip a place to eighth when the Finn class returned to racing after a day's rest.
An eighth and a 10th moved the Star pair of Hamish Pepper and Jim Turner into seventh while losses to France and Finland means the women's match racing crew are now eighth with a four win, six loss record.
NZN