Dyer Jones’ contribution to the America’s Cup stretched from 1967, during the 12 Metre era in Newport, through to the last appearance of the America’s Cup Class in Valencia in 2007. During that time, he played a pivotal role at several important turning points in the history of the America’s Cup.
In 1967, Jones served as an occasional crew member aboard Columbia during the defender selection trials. Throughout the 1970s, he served on Auxiliary Committees of the New York Yacht Club’s America’s Cup Race Committee.
Jones achieved his first leadership role in the America’s Cup in 1983, serving as Chairman of the NYYC’s Race Committee during the famous Australia II v. Liberty match at a time when controversies swirled around the Cup, threatening to derail the competition over Australia II’s winged keel.
After the controversy and legal proceedings surrounding the New Zealand “Big-Boat” challenge of 1988, Jones helped organize a Trustee’s Committee to resolve future disputes without recourse to the New York courts. This committee has since become the America’s Cup Arbitration Panel.
Given Jones’s experience in race management and as former Commodore of the New York Yacht Club (1991-92), he was selected to lead the Challengers’ Association for the 2000 match held in Auckland. For the following match there in 2003, Jones served as the Regatta Director for the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selection Series. On the strength of his qualifications, Jones was appointed by the new Swiss Defender and the Challenger of Record to become the Regatta Director for the first America’s Cup Regatta to be held in Europe, in Valencia, Spain, which included a new series of preliminary lead-up regattas held in four European venues.
Dyer Jones played a major part in the successes of the America’s Cup regattas in Newport in 1983, in Auckland in 1999-2000 and 2002-2003, and in Valencia in 2007. He has served every America’s Cup role he filled with distinction and a gentlemanly quiet but firm confidence that instilled trust and earned the respect of competitors and officials of many nationalities often in the heat of very tough competition.
