Lodge News

Spring is in the air here in BC & the sun is finally out after a cold blast of Arctic air has finally retreated. We are getting ready to head up to the lodge with the A-Team work party this week to do some float maintenance & other repairs. This is a bit earlier than usual & our caretakers report that, after a mild winter, there is still snow on the docks from the last storm. Hopefully the spring monsoon rains will wash it away as we have many boards to rip up & replace & no time to shovel snow.

One of the main jobs we have is to re-deck the dining room float. Why is the lodge floating on the ocean is a common question? Due to the rugged terrain in the fjord that is Rivers Inlet, there is not much flat land to build on. We have a foreshore lease that allows us to tie our floats up in a tranquil cove at the mouth of the inlet on the salmon highway of migrating & returning runs. That puts the lodge right on the fishing grounds, only minutes from some of the best salmon & halibut fishing in the world. This is perfect in the summer as we go up & down with the tides & we are literally a part of the marine environment.

However, in the winter the big storm swells like the 7 meter/20 ft + seas that are out front today, refract their way into our summer moorage in Sportsman’s Bay. This continuous movement would rip the lodge into match sticks in very short time! So, we tow the lodge in pieces with a tugboat across the Inlet each spring & fall to our winter moorage in Sunshine Bay. As a result, the floats need to be more like sturdy rafts or boats to endure the crossing of the inlet 2 times/year. The downside is that this is expensive & complicated as these all-wood structures living in a salty wet environment need constant maintenance. It is all worth the cost & effort for our guests.