Cherry Picking, Part V.

By now it’s obvious that we find much of how Dennis Conner conducts his business to be less than corinthian. One of our biggest bitches is his seemingly obsessive insistance on cherry picking in PHRF. While there is no doubting his (former?) abilities on the water, we have to wonder why he insists on beating up the locals in PHRF.

 Over the years he has sailed  a CF-27, a Soverel 33 (both of which were modified, of course), a J-120, and a  CM 1200. In nearly every instance he has out-gunned, out-manned and out-spent Joe Six Pack. Add to the mix his obvious advantage in abilities and you have, my friends, the very definition of cherry picking.

 Beyond the obvious question of “why?” you have to ask if he is so obsessed with sailing, and he is The Great Dennis, why isn’t he in classes that are a bit tougher? Instead of the CF 27 and Soverel 33, why not a Melges 24? Instead of the CM1200, why not a Farr 40?

 And now The Big Man has really upped the ante and stepped up to The Big Boat: he has purchased the much-modified R/P 50 “Morning Glory”. Now, don’t get us wrong, we’d like to have “Morning Glory” too, but if I’m DC, isn’t this a true case of bringing a gun to a knife fight? There are a couple of half-ass “big boat” programs in San Diego that Dennis will destroy, and again, for what purpose?

He doesn’t need the recognition that bad, does he? He doesn’t need yet another pickle dish that bad, does he? Does he need to go beat up those who really have no chance against him, that bad?

 Funny, we don’t see any other big names in the sport doing stuff like this. Really, wouldn’t it make more sense for him to have a Farr 40, sail in one design races, and then sail it in PHRF races if he has to?

 Does he have a passion for the sport? Clearly. And obviously that has driven him his entire sailing life. But Jesus, enough with beating up on the average schmo. And the tired line echoed by many that reads “Hey I don’t fault Dennis, I like to sail against the best” really wears thin if you’re the one receiving the beating from a guy who is essentially, a sailing bully. 

We’re not psychologists, but it is our understanding that Dennis is a guy who came from a humble background, and was driven to prove to those above him in life that he could beat them. Perhaps this obsession has manifested into the Dennis of today: A man who clearly is no longer what he once was at the top level of the sport, but a guy who can still look at other San Diego weekend warriors and say “Look at me, I’m still the best”.

Which would be fine. Anywhere except PHRF.