Funny sense of humour, this guy here has. So dressed in my flotation jacket and sea boots, I waddled down to the waterside and fell into the boat β which, I suppose, is better than falling out of it. A local Inuit woman had come along as a guide and to tell me a little about where we are going.
Away in the distance just here is Main Tickle, which we saw yesterday from up on the top of Flagstaff Hill. That was a summer fishing station used by people from the nearby winter settlements for fishing for cod and salmon. Further down the coast is another summer fishing station.
This is North River and it was formerly a permanent settlement. However it was one of the places that fell victim to the controversial resettlement programme.
Most people moved to Cartwright and just come out here when time and conditions allow. And here I am, with my feet ashore. The Norse make several references to the beautiful, long white sandy beaches here β the Furdustrandir β that so impressed them. They also refer to a prominent cape to the north, and to the south they mention a great many inlets and islands.
A quick look at maps and aerial photographs will identify many sites that appear to correspond to the description that they give. And where there has been a permanent settlement there was inevitably a cemetery, and so it is with North River.
