Yet another woe befell San Francisco's gift to billionaire Larry Ellison and his fancy boat race. Specifically, the French sailing team has dropped out of the race. "The team, called Aleph, announced Tuesday that it planned to drop out of the regatta and wished the other competitors good luck, but didn’t provide a reason for quitting," reports SF Examiner. "Aleph finished fourth during races in San Diego in November and was considered the weaker of two French teams in the running."
This now leaves a total of four competitors to compete in the awkwardly named Louis Vuitton Cup, before it's narrowed down to two. America's Cup spokesperson (and anti-Gold Dust Lounge advocate) Sam Singer says it's not a problem, stating the obvious: "That’s not an issue at all...It only takes two to have a race. Four is great, but two is all you need."
This recent setback comes on the heels of a nixed real estate deal that would have help rehabilitate the city's eastern waterfront. Piers 30 and 32 will no longer get renovations in preparation for the races set to start this summer. We also won't get a massive floating Jumbotron. Boo.