SPY: Dirty Dennis turns on charm at America's Cup dinner

Dennis Conner speaks to guests at the Legends gala dinner, held in Langham Hotel. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Once, Dennis Conner came here to race yachts. Now, he comes for the money.

When the four-time America's Cup winner invites me to sit next to him at the America's Cup Yachting Legends gala dinner at the Langham Hotel on Friday night, I find him to be a curious mix of embitterment and enthusiasm.

"I feel my second country is right here and I'm rooting for you guys," the 68-year-old says. "The America's Cup is really New Zealand's cup. They are the dominant presence in sailing."

But when I asked how often he comes here, Conner rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, indicating show me the money'. The man who mortgaged his house to form his own syndicate with the San Diego Yacht Club in 1987 - and struggled to find funding for successive campaigns - appears conscious of cash.

He looked across at b(who sat within metres of Conner at another table) and the American said: "He'll be spending his BNZ dollars on his island. I don't move in those circles."

He is, however, friends with Bill Koch - the billionaire sailing enthusiast whom Conner described as having a multi-million-dollar wine cellar "three times the size of this ballroom".

"It's nothing for him to crack open a US$20,000 bottle of wine for dinner."

Conner flew home to San Diego on Saturday and raced on Sunday. He acknowledged he's had to sacrifice a lot to follow his dream of sailing. His two children (in their 40s) don't sail because they resent it.

"It took me away so much from home," he said. "I sail because that's all I know to do."

He is also a businessman, artist and prolific author. He said he had released a cookbook and tells me his favourite recipe was meatloaf.

I scoffed: "That's not a recipe, that's leftovers!"

Conner looked at me warily. "What about Mexican, then? I cook some great Mexican food."

Much hype had been made about his refusal to allow Paul Holmes to attend the Langham dinner, but Conner wasn't prepared to entertain further questions on the sore subject.

Notably absent from his table was a bottle of the broadcaster's eponymous olive oil that took pride of place on every other table in the ballroom.

He brought three of his own limited edition water-colour prints to auction for the Asthma Foundation, a disease he was happy to support because he suffered from asthma as a kid.

One print was snapped up by RadioLive boss Jana Rangooni who begged Conner to sign it.

Ironically, another print was bought for $5000 by NZ Premium Foods - the company co-owned by Paul Holmes.