It looks different every day, everywhere, but we celebrate the ocean and all that it provides for this wonderful, blue, planet!
Thursday September 30 is the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to honour the survivors of Canadian residential institutions and those who never made it home. We all know people in our community who live and struggle with the sad legacy of these schools. We all have a role to play in reconciliation. We can all listen, learn, and support the healing needed to address the intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school system. Reconciliation is not just the responsibility of government–it is a responsibility that belongs to all Canadians. The QCL office will be closed on September 30 in recognition.
Getting ready to open for our 2021 season, one major consideration was having our staff vaccinated to ensure their safety and that of our guests and the community. With some effort on everyones part, we’re proud to say that we got it done before they came up to the lodge. But we’d only been open a few days when we realized that the “second jab” would come due for each of them all throughout the summer. Of course, in a location as remote as Naden Harbour, mobility is a major challenge, but we had to find a solution.Thankfully for us, that solution was provided with the ultimate in care and professionalism by a wonderful team of nurses and doctors from Northern Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre in Masset. 
Preparations were all made in advance and the medical team was picked up and delivered to the lodge where they set up their makeshift vaccination clinic in the Totem House lounge. Over the 8-hour schedule we managed to provide that critical second dose of vaccine to more than 100 of our staff from every department. The nurses even did live updates to the database so every staff received a notification confirming their vaccination. We pride ourselves on service and can happily verify that this team from Masset went above and beyond to take care of our staff… top shelf! Thank you so very much!
Preparations were all made in advance and the medical team was picked up and delivered to the lodge where they set up their makeshift vaccination clinic in the Totem House lounge. Over the 8-hour schedule we managed to provide that critical second dose of vaccine to more than 100 of our staff from every department. The nurses even did live updates to the database so every staff received a notification confirming their vaccination. We pride ourselves on service and can happily verify that this team from Masset went above and beyond to take care of our staff… top shelf! Thank you so very much!
The QCL Kingfisher Derby has been annual tradition for many years. In fact, many of the participants have been fishing this derby for more than a decade! The Kingfisher is a Catch & Release salmon derby that happens in mid-June – so that means Chinook salmon. Fish guided or self-guided, weighted rods or downriggers; Go with what you know! All entered fish are measured, scored, revived and carefully released by derby marshals. Guides may not touch the rod. It’s 3 exciting days of intense fishing effort, right down to the wire on the last day. More than once the winner was netted in the final hours of the derby! To spice up the competition a bit, there is one prize for largest killed salmon; often a strategic decision! With an entry fee of $2000 per angler the top prize has ranged from $40K to over $60K.
This year’s event, our 18th Annual, is our biggest yet, with the richest prize pool ever! It’s a highlight of the summer with over $100,000 up for grabs for anglers pursuing the largest Catch & Release salmon. Top prize for the largest salmon released will be minimum $50,000 and there are prizes for runners up as well as daily catch. It’s a party all weekend with special treatment from the food & beverage department as well! Tons of fun! At this time there are still a few spaces left so if you enjoy a little competition in your fishin’ you should give us a call today!
This week members of our sales team are attending the annual Washington Sportsmen’s Show in Puyallup; look for Roger, Craig and Kevin at Booth #621. We’ll be at the Pacific Northwest show in Portland on February 5-9. At the same time we’ll be in Reno for the big Safari Club International show. Remaining spaces for the 2020 season are going even more quickly now with show season in full swing. If you haven’t reserved your dates for this year you’d best not delay any longer!
Thanksgiving, whenever you celebrate, is absolutely the perfect time for reflection. As we gather with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving it’s wonderful to share some of the stories and the memories of the year that is coming to an end. And in reflection we’re reminded to be thankful for those memories. Our lives are so rich and we often forget how very fortunate we are. At QCL we feel that our guests and staff all have something very important in common… our experiences at the Lodge in Haida Gwaii and especially our stories.
We feel especially privileged to be able to share a few days with our Queen Charlotte Lodge family each summer. Thank you all for allowing us that privilege.
For the past 29 years Queen Charlotte Lodge has helped to create those memories for adventure seekers of all generations. Families and friends make up a large part of our guest list on virtually every trip of the summer. With all that experience, we make it really easy for you to come visit!
As our American friends celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, it’s the perfect time to start planning one of those escapes! We still have some space available for next summer but people are talking and planning and select dates are filling up. Explore around our website to learn more and feel free to give us a call to enquire.
QCL Moments is our new slideshow series featuring the many memorable experiences that QCL guests enjoy every summer. It could be fishing, dining, wildlife or wild life! It’s all about the QCL Experience – every day is a new day at the Lodge! You never know what’s going to come your way.
QCL and the rest of the Sport Fishing Industry were notified in mid-September that one of our major competitors were suspending operations. This was definitely a shock as they have hosted thousands of guests since opening their doors in 1994. West Coast Resorts operated two lodges on the west coast of Haida Gwaii, so we know that their customers will miss fishing at Englefield Bay and Hippa Island.
QCL estimates that 2000 or more avid WCR clients will be looking for a new home in Haida Gwaii. It would be an understatement to say that our phones and Sales Executives have been busy since this announcement. As the dust starts to settle and we review our 2020 bookings we see that we are just now over 70% booked for 2020. Another way to look at things is that we only closed our doors for the 2019 season 30 days ago and we are already almost three quarters full.
We are excited to be booked to this level as the 2020 season is still almost a year away. We are happy with this up-turn in business, however, we are also worried about our existing, loyal guests. We have made every attempt to reach out and let folks know about WCR and the effect this has had on our available space. We want to make sure our existing QCL clients have a chance to reserve their preferred space so we urge you to reach out to us and let us know what your thoughts and plans are for 2020. After a great 2019 fishing season we want to see you make it back up to QCL in Haida Gwaii for another amazing trip next year. Help us help you! We strongly suggest you call us soon at 1.800.688.8959
The bears have moved to the streams and the sound of the geese staging in the estuary rings across the harbour…Autumn has arrived. Our lodge guests have been home for a while now, sharing their tasty fish dinners with friends and family, spiced with lively stories of how they managed to catch such wonderful food. Another summer of fishing, friendship and fun has concluded at QCL, for the 29thyear!
It’s amazing how each season unfolds. As familiar as it is to those of us fortunate enough to be here every year, there is always some mystery in how it will all turn out. The weather and the fish are the obvious wildcards…cross your fingers on that! But the parts that are within our control are what we have the most fun with. It’s thrilling to roll out a new program each season and see how everyone likes it. Sometimes it’s a facility change, like the beachside sauna and hot tub or Smoke & Oak –our whisky and cigar retreat on the hill. Last year we launched a Steak & Lobster dinner at The Bell Ringer. This season we introduced an exciting fleet of 8 beautiful new boats to help bring our guided fishing program up to where we want it. Next summer…who knows?
Certainly, we hope that our guests enjoy our programs and facilities; and by all accounts we think they do, but it’s the hospitality of our people that they appreciate the most. We feel that our QCL staff truly enjoy being here, helping to create a memorable QCL experience for all of our guests. At the end of the day, and at the end of the season, that’s what matters most. Thanks ever so much to all of our guests who joined us in Naden Harbour this summer and to all of our staff and management who made it all come together! We hope to see you next year!
It’s crazy realizing you are in the good old days. That these times here in beautiful Haida Gwaii will someday be just a fond memory. Tomorrow I leave this place after a great season with new scars, memories, pictures and fish – none of which can do it justice. This is a place full of endless adventure, almost untouched wilderness and 140 like-minded co-workers to experience it all alongside. When you come here you take a step back from reality and the hustle and bustle of concrete and traffic. An amazing escape that keeps people coming back year after year. As somebody once said to me, this is not the real world it’s the “reel” world.
– Jake Harach
