The Terra Nova Yacht Club traces its roots to the Bowring Sailing Club established in the early 1960s by the Bowring family for their employees, family, and friends. In 1963 the Bowring Sailing Club acquired the property that currently houses the TNYC clubhouse in Holyrood to be used as a base for Snipe-class races. By the late 1960s the Bowring Sailing Club at Holyrood had disbanded as its members moved from sailing Snipes to acquiring larger boats, perhaps teaching us that “two-foot-itis” is not just a modern affliction.

In 1970 the Bowring family donated the club building to the newly  formed Terra Nova Sailing Club under the leadership of its first commodore, Frank O’Connor. In 1976 the Terra Nova Sailing Club acuired several quarter-ton racers through Memorial University as young sailors began to practice for the 1977 Canada games in St. John’s. The Terra Nova Sailing Club began to flourish in the 1980s, with more boats added to the club and substantial improvements to the club house. In 1993, the Terra Nova Sailing Club changed its name to the Terra Nova Yacht Club to reflect its openness to both sail and power boaters, with member Robin Cook creating the new crest and logo depicting the common bond all boaters have with the sea.

In 2005 TNYC became a founding member of the Holyrood Marina Park Corporation (HMPC), a not-for-profit partnership with the Town of Holyrood designed to operate the marina for the benefit of its users. Since that time, HMPC has undertaken extensive improvements to the marina, making it one of the largest and best equipped recreational marinas in Newfoundland and Labrador.