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Kingfisher Report – July 15th

We’re just nicely into our second trip of the season and are happy to report that everything is coming together quite well.  Our staff are settling into their positions and really enjoying having guests around to look after.  The Chef’s pantry is full and the wine list is looking good!

We are working hard to provide a quality QCL Experience during your stay at the Lodge. At the same time, we are trying our very best to ensure the health and safety of our guests and our staff.  We want you to relax and enjoy all the wonderful things you come here for, but we ask that you remember, this is not 2019.  This is different, and we need to do some things differently.

At the lodge we have adopted, by necessity, a number of measures that you will be very familiar with by now.  Physical distancing, wearing face masks and using hand sanitizer frequently are all part of everyday life here; much like you experience at home.  Everyone will appreciate that you continue to be vigilant in protecting yourself and others against this coronavirus.  That said, we have created spaces for you to safely enjoy dining and partying and fishing and telling stories.  We want you to have fun!  But we need everybody to pull together and take care of one another.

Now let’s talk about fishing…  with less boats on the water there are even more opportunities to find your own favourite spot!   We’ve had a lot of southerly wind systems in the past week and it looks like that will continue for at least another week.  Light to moderate winds swinging between southeast and southwest find us in sheltered water most of the time.  As a result, we’re fishing the full grounds from Green Point all the way over to Cape Edenshaw.  Chinook action inshore has been pretty steady with lots of feeder Springs in the mid-teens mixed with enough of those twenty-somethings to keep you holding out for something bigger.  There are some Tyees in the mix as well; we released a couple of 40-pounders in training week and on opening weekend the biggest Chinook was a beautiful 39-pounder for Gary W.  On Tuesday we saw a pair of 30-pounders come to the scale, one for Cecil D, celebrating his first ever Tyee, and one for Sean B. who’s enjoyed catching several big fish in recent years.  Congratulations Guys!

We’re seeing Cohos (6-8 pounds) and Pinks in solid numbers, mostly offshore, over the Pinnacles in 150-200 feet of water.  The halibut fishing is always reliable and several anglers have been rewarded with some very nice fish!  Last week the bar was set pretty high when Dr. James C. ventured out with veteran QCL guide Derek “Demo” P. and promptly hauled up a giant that they taped out to 76 inches (235 pounds) before releasing it.  Great work! What a way to kick off a fishing season!  On the weekend Bob M was trolling for salmon inshore between Parker Pt and Cape Naden with guide Jordan F. – they brought a perfect 30-pound halibut to the boat – but that was after catching and releasing two much larger halibut that measured 96 and 104 pounds!  You just never know what you’ll catch out there!  Great work guys.  The Tyee bell has rung for several other chunky halibut weighing between 30 and 50 pounds this week as well.

Wildlife has been abundant out there too.  Besides the usual collection of feeding Humpback whales and giant black bears foraging on the beaches, we’ve had several transient Orca cruising inshore – maybe they’re hanging around because we’ve also seen a few more sea lions than normal so far this summer.

Stay tuned – right here – for more updates as the 2020 season rolls on!

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QCL TERMS & CONDITIONS

At QCL we strive to make every visit to our facility a truly enjoyable and memorable experience.  To enable all of our guests to enjoy their QCL experience to the fullest, we have terms and conditions which apply to all our guests and are aimed at ensuring that all our guests comport themselves in a way that is respectful of the lodge, our staff and their fellow quests.  By agreeing to participate in a trip with QCL, all guests will be deemed to have agreed to the following:

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR

All of the staff and guests at QCL have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.  As a responsible employer and host, we believe that we have a duty to our staff and guests to protect them from inappropriate behaviour by any guest.  Inappropriate behaviour will include drunkenness, profanity, racial or discriminatory comments, unwelcome physical contact or innuendo, excess noise and any other behaviour which is rude, disrespectful, discriminatory or otherwise considered to be inappropriate by any member of QCL’s staff or any other guest.  Final decisions regarding inappropriate behavior and the appropriate consequences for the applicable party will rest with QCL’s Duty Manager.  The Lodge reserves the right to take such action regarding the party found to have acted inappropriately as the Lodge determines to be appropriate, which may include requiring the party to leave the Lodge immediately (all associated transportation costs being borne by the party found to have acted inappropriately) and where necessary involving the police or other appropriate outside agencies.  

RELEASE OF LIABILITY

QCL is a wilderness fishing lodge and guests are participating in sport fishing activities on the open ocean, all of which carry inherent risks.  All guests therefore use QCL’s lodge, boats and other facilities, as well as the aircraft and helicopters with which they travel to or from the Lodge, at their own risk, and all guests voluntarily assume all risks associated with their travel to and from the Lodge and all sport fishing activities, including all risks or personal injury, including the potential for serious injury or death, whether as a result of their own actions or the actions of QCL staff, guides, suppliers, contractors or other guests, or through other circumstances, including weather conditions.  

Therefore, all guests, by choosing to travel to and from QCL, stay at the QCL Lodge, use any QCL equipment or facilities, and/or participate in any sport fishing activities (collectively, the “Trip Activities”) and in consideration of QCL permitting them to do so:

  1. voluntarily assume all risks associated with participation in any Trip Activities, including all risks of physical injury, however caused;

  2. release Queen Charlotte Lodge Ltd. and its directors, officers, shareholders, employees and contractors (collectively, the “QCL Parties”) from any and all claims, liability or causes of action whatsoever which arise from or relate to any Trip Activities, from any cause whatsoever and whether or not caused or contributed to by any defect or other condition in the Lodge property or any dock, boat or other piece of equipment, or any act, omission or negligence of any QCL Party.  

SMOKING

In British Columbia, the Tobacco & Vapour Products Control Act prohibits smoking or vaping in any common areas of the Lodge such as lobbies, hallways, and restaurants.  QCL, as a matter of Lodge policy and because our buildings are wood frame and located in a remote area with limited firefighting facilities, also prohibits smoking or vaping within any guest rooms.  Smoking and vaping are permitted outside of Lodge buildings, as long as guests are more than six metres away from all doorways, open windows or air intakes around the Lodge.

Any breach of these smoking rules is subject to a fine/additional fee of $200, on account of QCL’s costs associated with rectifying the affected environment.

DAMAGE TO LODGE PROPERTY

Guests will be charged for all costs and damages incurred by QCL, including the full cost of rectifying any damage to any Lodge property (including boats and motors, dock structures and any Lodge building), which such guest causes either deliberately or through negligence or recklessness.  Should this damage come to light after the guest has departed, the guest authorizes QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.  While QCL will take reasonable steps to keep the costs chargeable to the guest to a minimum, if the damage is such that a room or boat is rendered unusable for a period of time, the guest will be liable for any loss of revenue that the Lodge suffers while the room or boat is being repaired.

REMOVAL OF LODGE PROPERTY

Guests will be charged for all costs of replacing any items that are removed from the premises by the guest without QCL’s consent or which are so damaged or stained by the guest as to be unusable.  The charge will be the full replacement amount of the missing or damaged item, including any carriage charges.  Should the fact that the item is missing or damaged come to light after the guest has departed, the guest authorizes QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.

TAMPERING WITH FIRE DETECTION SYSTEMS AND FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT

Tampering or interfering with any fire detection or fire suppression equipment at the Lodge is an extremely serious matter.  QCL reserves the right to take immediate action against any guest found to have tampered or interfered with any fire detection or suppression equipment throughout the Lodge, including detector heads in public areas and bedrooms, break glass points and fire extinguishers. Guests found to have tampered with any fire detection or fire fighting equipment will be charged for all costs incurred by the Lodge due to their actions and additionally may be asked to leave the Lodge. Depending on the severity of the guest actions, the Police may become involved at the Lodge’s discretion.  Should the fact that fire fighting or detection equipment had been tampered with come to light after the guest has departed, the guest authorizes QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.

LOSS OF PERSONAL ITEMS

None of the QCL Parties is liable or responsible for any loss of or damage to any guest’s personal property or valuables while the guest is staying at the Lodge. 

DIETARY OR ALLERGY CONSIDERATIONS

At QCL we do our very best to accommodate our guests with dietary requirements, food sensitivities, allergies and health conditions to the extent possible.  If a guest advises us in advance that they suffer from a food sensitivity or allergy or have other dietary requirements, we will endeavor to provide suitable menu or beverage options, such as gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan options.  However, QCL does not and cannot operate a gluten-, allergen- or meat or dairy-free kitchen, and cross-contamination from work surfaces, cooking utensils and other sources may occur.  Our cooking facilities and ingredients are not kosher or halal-compliant.  Many allergens such as nuts, gluten and shellfish may be present in our kitchen and we cannot ensure that cross-contamination or simple human errors will not occur.  Any guest with a food sensitivity, allergy or dietary requirement must discuss their needs with QCL staff prior to arrival at our Lodge, to determine whether we will be able to accommodate their needs appropriately.  QCL cannot accept any responsibility or liability for our guests’ food sensitivities, allergies or dietary requirements. 

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Guests are responsible for, and will pay to QCL on demand:

  1. the full balance due under their account at the end of each trip, including amounts payable under any of the above terms and conditions as well as alcohol and other purchases and staff tips charged to the guest’s account; and

  2. where the guest has booked the trip on behalf of multiple persons in a single party (a “Group”), the full balance due under the account of each Group member, if such Group member has failed to pay all or any portion of their account, including any amounts payable by such Group member under any of the above terms and conditions as well as alcohol and other purchases and staff tips charged to the guest’s account.

Guests specifically authorize QCL to charge the full amount of such costs to the guest’s credit/debit card, or send an invoice for the amount due to the guest’s address in our records.

BREACH

Management of the Lodge reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to ask any guest to leave the Lodge in the event of non-compliance with any of these terms and conditions (all associated transportation costs being borne by the non-complying guest).