New Zealand sailors Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams have retained the lead after the penultimate race at yachting's Star World Championships off San Francisco.

The kiwi crew has finished fifth in today's race, which is enough to take a 7 point lead into tomorrow's final race.

Pepper and Williams have now had two firsts, a fourth, a fifth and a 20th, giving them 11 points, with the worst result dropped for each crew.

Brazilians Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada are in second place on 18 points, after finishing third today.

Not such good news for the other New Zealand crew in the medal hunt.

Rohan Lord and Miles Addy have finished 46th in today's race and have slipped from second to fifth in the overall standings.

The third kiwi crew at the regatta continues to struggle.

Steve Johnson and Stephan Cohen were 48th today and are 62nd in a fleet of 66 boats in the overall standings.