Jersey artwork © Liam Birch

The Toronto Canoe Club was founded in 1880 by nine men wishing to establish a union of aquatic sporting activities at Toronto Harbour. They first rented a clubhouse in 1885 which proved too small. A new clubhouse was built in 1887 on the Esplanade opposite Union Station. This site was then expropriated by the CP Railway. Their next clubhouse was built on the waterfront in 1893 on the west side of the foot of York Street. In 1920, after the Harbour Commission bought out their lease for $30,000, Toronto CC purchased the Cooke Estate on the west side of Dowling Avenue, where they remain today. Toronto regularly hosted their regattas on Hanlan's Bay between the Islands and the northern docks although some regattas were held at the foot of Cherry Street on the eastern side of the harbour. Toronto was the first Canadian club to specialise in canoeing disciplines. They won the CCA championship eight times (seven consecutive) and hockey’s Memorial Cup in 1920. The Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club was established in 1939, officially taking over the former club. Members were known as the ‘Red Ringers.’ The red and black jersey colours of Toronto Sailing were adopted before the name change, from at least 1937, although there is a dark jersey from 1925 (seen at left) with a red ring. It is unclear what colour this jersey is, either black or blue. David Town's "Two Jacks" indicates that Toronto raced in blue colours at the 1906 Henley regatta.