In 1880, the newly founded Toronto Canoe Club (T.C.C.) adopted as its burgee a white flag with a red ring. Under this symbol, which was derived from a design of the Royal Canoe Club of London, England, the T.C.C. had become the largest club of its kind in the world by 1920.

The original impetus was to provide opportunities for amateur canoeists to race and cruise, but from the start, sailing played a part in club activities. In 1939, T.C.C. was reorganized as the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club. From these beginnings evolved a tradition of active canoeing and sailing participation on a regional and international basis. For 135 years, the red ring has symbolized an active aquatic sports presence on the Toronto waterfront.

Toronto Canoe Club on the downtown waterfront in 1906. That's old Union Station in the background on the left.

A series of early clubhouses were built in Toronto’s Inner Harbour, expanding in size each time as the club’s membership grew, until in 1911 the newly formed Toronto Harbour Commission decided to develop deep-water slips to accommodate large freighters there.

After World War I, the T.C.C. was moved to the western waterfront shoreline, which by then was protected by construction of a breakwall stretching from the Western Gap to the Humber River. The club at this time occupied a grand house on a four-acre estate at the foot of Dowling Ave. It developed ambitious plans for lawn bowling, tennis, badminton, and swimming, which also included championship hockey and rugby teams.

However, the club went deep into debt. By the year 1929, it was near financial collapse. Triggered by the expropriation of waterfront lands, the T.C.C. negotiated the sale of its property to the city to pay off its debts, and agreed to lease a portion of the waterfront — still occupied by the TS&CC — where it was able to survive in reduced circumstances as an aquatic club.

Sailing membership increased from the 1930s onward. By the 1960s, sailing had become the club’s predominant activity. In the winter of 1957, it suffered a disastrous fire that completely destroyed the clubhouse along with 100 dinghies and canoes stored inside. The clubhouse was rebuilt in 1960 with a loan from the city, and is still in use today.

A fierce storm in January 1978 brought hurricane-force winds that tore out portions of the breakwall, and both of the club’s permanent docks. Fortunately, the federal government agreed to rebuild the seawall the following winter, as the club is dependent on shoreline protection against occasional violent storms on Lake Ontario originating from the south.

Today the Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club continues to serve a diverse membership. It’s home to healthy fleets of racing and cruising keelboats, sailing dinghies, canoes, and dragon boats.

A slideshow of photos from the TS&CC archives.