Daily Digest: AC50 circuit, VOR update, 2024 Olympic Classes and more

SAN DIEGO – Today is the 12th Day of Christmas, or as our Spanish friends call it, "El Día de los Reyes" – the Day of the Kings. For those of you who celebrate it, time to take down those Christmas decorations (as we will do here at the Beach Street YC this evening), and start getting on in earnest with the New Year. As always, below are the latest links to major yacht racing stories, including links to major stories we otherwise posted on Sailing Illustrated since our previous Daily Digest.

While we are going on about España, Cumpleaños Feliz to His Majesty King Juan Carlos, whose 80th birthday was yesterday. Recall that in 2017 he won the classic division at the 6m Worlds hosted by the Royal Vancouver YC. HMKJC retains his title as King even though his son Felipe, also a sailor who competed in the 1992 Olympics in the Soling Class (your Ed. had the honor of umpiring some of their matches – story for another time) is now officially on the throne.

Official portrait of His Majesty King Juan Carlos on the occasion (yesterday) of his 80th birthday.

Replay of this week's (2 Jan 17) Tuesdays with TFE Facebook Live netcast with the "one hears" about the new AC50 circuit being readied by Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts for later this year and next.

Gladwell: Reports from mid-October 2017 of a world series circuit being developed using AC50's re-surfaced this week after America's Cup veteran Tom Ehman reeled off a list of six teams said to be interested in competing in the event.

Stuff.co.nz: The well-connected Ehman, whose predictions are usually on the money, said "highly reliable" sources indicated Oracle Team USA boss Larry Ellison was aiming for a San Francisco regatta to link in with his annual Oracle Open World convention in late October. [Read, too, the reader comments below the article.]

Royal Gazette (BER): Local authorities have yet to comment on the proposed AC50 tour. However, Pat Phillip-Fairn, the Bermuda Tourism Authority chief product and experiences development officer, stated in a press release announcing this year’s BTA Bermuda sailing calendar that “ongoing talks continue, potentially adding more events for 2018 and 2019”.

VOR: Dongfeng continues to lead, with team AkzoNobel and MAPFRE in hot pursuit. The east-west split in the fleet is narrowing as well as the teams try to mitigate risk on approach to the doldrums.

Neil Pryde: Windsurfing must remain as an Olympic Sport. [The political push-back has been ramping up since Sailing Illustrated broke the news, never challenged by World Sailing, that the world governing body has a plan to radically change the class lineup for the 2024 Games, including dropping Windsurfers to make way for Foiling Kiteboards.]

Melges Power 26: Good looking new powerboat from Scow country.