The Boat Club was founded in 1961. There had been discussions in the late 1950s and early 1960s about the possibility of the College sharing a boathouse with Christ's College, followed by similar, brief discussions with Fitzwilliam College. However, these came to nothing and the club shared boathouse premises with the City of Cambridge Rowing Club before entering into a shared arrangement with King's College, Selwyn College and the Leys School in the late 1960s. Canon J N Duckworth, the College's first Chaplain, was much involved in the club's early days and was its treasurer until his retirement in 1973, after which he continued as a Vice-President of the club. In c.2003 a Steering Committee was established to guide the activities of the Boat Club Committee, the junior committee, and to oversee funding and provide guidance about sponsorship.