Daily Digest: Rolex Sydney-Hobart protest aftermath, some amazing quotes, Sally Barkow replaces Anni

SAN DIEGO – Thanks again, Dear Readers, for the warm reception you have given the renewal of these "Daily Digests," with links to current yacht racing articles that may be of interest to our loyal and growing Sailing Illustrated community. By request, we are now also including links to major stories we otherwise posted on Sailing Illustrated since yesterday's Daily Digest.

In-depth SI article we posted last night just after the protest decision was handed down that is popular and "trending" across the web today: Rolex Sydney-Hobart: LDV COMANCHE wins, WILD OATS XI stripped of title

Video: Rolex Sydney-Hobart Jury Chairman John Rountree (NZL) reads the jury decision for the media last evening in Hobart.

Video: LDV COMANCHE owner Jim Cooney and WILD OATS XI skipper Mark Richards alongside WOXI owner Sandy Oatley give statements to, and answer questions from, the media after last evening's jury decision. Interestingly, Mr Oatley not once but twice deflected questions about whether the team would be back for next year's race, saying "we'll work that out in the coming weeks" without committing to another race.

Video: QUOTE OF THE DAY: Mark Richards, WOXI skipper, talking with ABC (Australian) news after the protest decision was announced, "It's not very often you smash a Sydney to Hobart record and get it taken away from you."

QUOTE OF THE DAY No. 2: Our longtime friend and former AC colleague, Matthew Mason (NZL) speaking with the NZH today. When asked if there were any hard feelings, Mason replied: "Absolutely there is. We reckon Jimmy [Spithill]'s getting a little bit desperate for a win. But, anyway, he can take that, that's cool."

QUOTE OF THE DAY No. 3: "We were confused that they gave us an hour. We thought the penalty, if we were in the wrong...would have probably cost us five minutes." –Matthew Mason later in the same NZH article. So, is that the reason they didn't take a 720?

UPDATE (Thu 28 Dec 17, 1612 PST) – Audio: Matthew Mason (NZL) interviewed on Radio Sport NZ: "There's a lot of bad blood between WILD OATS and Spithill."

QUOTE OF THE DAY No. 4: "To reiterate our opinion: It wasn’t the foul that hurt WOXI. It was the failure to take their turns, combined with the idiotic comments of their skipper in both written and TV interviews. To wit, Ricko [Mark Richardson (AUS)] told ABC: “If that was a blatant infringement then obviously we would do our turn but it actually wasn’t...." –Alan "Mr Clean" Block writing on the front page of today's Sailing Anarchy.

Sally Barkow will replace Annie Lush on Brunel Sailing for Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race; Lush was examined at the hospital after arriving in Melbourne and has broken two bones in her foot and one in her back.

Finally, the official Rolex summary "Line Honors" video: Jim Cooney and LDV COMANCHE secured the line honours victory at the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart in a record time of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds, bettering by 4 hours 15 minutes, 56 seconds the previous benchmark set in 2016. Cooney and his crew were rewarded for their success in the southern hemisphere’s pre-eminent offshore race with the J.H. Illingworth Trophy and a Rolex timepiece....