We're more than a sailing club: we are a community. J-Town is what you want it to be. For some, it's a race training centre. For others, it's our weeknight watering hole and cottage by the lake. For many, it's the place they tried sailing for the first time - and fell in love. It can be all of those things!

We are not a yacht club. You can't keep your yacht here, and we don't have a fancy over-priced restaurant, an on-site bar, or a pool with towel service. What we do have is gourmet meals cooked by our members, bring-your-own-drinks, a fleet for all to use, and Lake Ontario as our swimming pool!!!

We pride ourselves in being friendly as well as Toronto's most active sailing club. We get together for dinner parties every Wednesday night during the summer - after a social sail together, of course. Some of our members are incredible cooks, and are kind enough to share their gourmet creations with all of us. Our annual Lobster Feast party is legendary.

We also have some of the most skilled sailors in Toronto. As a harbour, Toronto has the world's largest fleet of Albacore sailboats, and all the clubs race together on Friday nights and hold weekend races together. If racing is your thing, J-Town sets the bar among the Toronto Albacore community!

We hold free training sessions on Mondays, where you can learn from the best, clinics where you can pick up new skills, regatta races throughout the season, and social events throughout the year.

OUR HISTORY

St. James Town Sailing Club was created over the winter of 1967/1968 by a small group of sailors who wanted an inexpensive alternative to Toronto's yacht clubs. In its first season, most of the members lived in the newly built St. James Town apartment complex, and secured backing from the St. James Town YMCA branch, both financially and by through its name.

The club’s first fleet of Albacores (7 by the end of that season) was leased from builder Grampion Marine. We rented space at the Toronto Island Marina, erected a small structure to serve as an equipment locker, and acquired an old 14-foot wooden boat and a 1950’s vintage five horsepower outboard motor for rescue purposes.

We were one of the original founding clubs of the Friday Night Racing program, which continues today, with many clubs participating.

In 1973, the club relocated to its present site with five other clubs and formed the Outer Harbour Sailing Federation (OHSF). J-Town is located on land created from landfill and formerly owned by the Toronto Harbour Commission (THC), a joint federal-municipal government agency.

Credit: Steve Favell