History of Easterner 12US18

A Classic Wooden 12-Meter built for the 1958 America's Cup

Classic wooden 12-Meter Easterner, regarded by many as one of the most beautiful racing sloops ever built, returned to Newport, Rhode Island during the summer of 1995 after 28 years of racing and cruising on the West Coast under the name of Newsboy.

Designed by C. Raymond Hunt, she was built in 1958 for the late Chandler Hovey at Graves Shipyard in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Hovey, a renowned yachtsman and former commodore of the Eastern Yacht Club, had been involved with the America's Cup since 1930.

When cup competition was resumed in 1958 after a 21 year lapse, he commissioned the building of Easterner.There were three new contenders for the America's Cup defense that year: Easterner, Columbia, and Weatherly. Of them, 12-Meter historian Norris D. Hoyt said, "The most beautiful of the three was the varnished Easterner, designed by Ray Hunt from Marblehead..."

Easterner was a contender for the America's Cup Defense off Newport in 1958, '62, and '64. Hovey sold Easterner to Jack Baillie, who took the boat to Newport Beach, California, and renamed her Newsboy.

Today, under new ownership, Easterner has been given back her original name and is being restored to her original condition and layout. Easterner can be seen during the sailing season in Newport, Rhode Island, in the company of other historic 12-Meters, where she resides in a charter fleet and participates in day sailing and classic wooden events.