I2 US I8 Easterner

Built for the Chandler Hovey family at the Graves Yacht Yard in Marblehead, MA. Designed by C. Raymond Hunt, she entered the 1958, 1962 and 1964  Defender Trials sailing for the Eastern Yacht Club. Although the boat had great potential, as she was considered the fastest of the 1958 12mRs, she was unsuccessful in capturing the Defender position. In 1962 she won the Astor Cup (NYYC) and the Queen’s Cup (NYYC) in 1964.

She was purchased by John F. Baillie who renamed her Newsboy. During this time her homeport was Newport Beach, CA. She had an extensive interior refit suitable for extended offshore racing on the west coast, including installing a small piano under the chart table. Sailing from the Balboa Yacht Club, US-18 won dozens of local and long-range large yacht offshore races during this period, including the Ensenada, Catalina, and Los Angeles Yacht Club races. ( Newsboy  was moored in Balboa Bay in front of the Bernard family home. She was much admire by Scott Bernard as he learned to sail and 50 years later he became the sixth owner of US-18.)

1995-2013: Arthur Schlossmann (Jamestown RI), SASA Charters Inc., in 1995 he purchased her and undertook a refit at the Brooklin Boat Yard and Cove Haven Marina with a major structural restoration including re-framing, re-fastening and refinishing. In 2008 Schlossmann donated Easterner to Sail to Prevail (Newport, RI), The National Disabled Sailing Program. At that time she was fitted with helm modifications to accommodate disabled skippers.

Thorpe Lesson (Newport,RI) purchased Easterner in 2014, he started but did not complete a refit in Maine and Somerset MA

In 2018, Scott Bernard (Annapolis, MD) purchased Easterner with plans to race in Newport, RI and Annapolis, MD.