Just over 1,200 people live in Nunajnguk – which is the Inuit name for Nain. Founded in 1771 as a mission station, Labrador’s northernmost settlement offers everything that makes up modern life: an airfield, two supermarkets, a hospital and the new administrative centre.

As soon as we moor, it takes only a few minutes before we’re clearly the talk of the town. Children come to visit us on board and one pick-up after another rolls up onto the jetty. The locals marvel at the Dagmar Aaen and want to know exactly where we’re from. A fisherman gives us two really large char as a welcome gift. The friendliness of the people is overwhelming.

We’re given a short tour of the church in Nain. The verger takes time out for us – and mentions in passing that he has German roots. A small connection across the Atlantic that fits in surprisingly well with the history of this place.
For the history of the Moravians is still very much present in Nain today. More than 250 years after the mission was founded, the church still plays an important role in the life of the community. Services are held in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. Here, the past and the present lie very close together.

We want to explore the area around Nain. But anyone leaving Nain to set off on foot into the surrounding countryside should not do so without a guide who knows the area well. At first, we only encounter the reason for this in the form of traces.
On some trees, we spot clear scratch marks made by bears. After that, we look a little more carefully amongst the bushes. But we don’t spot any bears.
Not yet, anyway.
In the evening, one suddenly appears in the village. Rangers eventually shoot the animal. The warnings, which may previously have seemed somewhat abstract to us, suddenly take on a very concrete meaning.

Later, it grows quiet in the harbour. Because of the tidal range, we often have to go out at night to check the mooring lines. It’s actually a perfectly normal part of daily life on board.
But a glance upwards makes us pause.
Above us, the Northern Lights stretch across the dark sky. Pale green veils emerge from nowhere and slowly change shape. And what makes it special is that they’re reflected in the calm sea.
The lines have long since been secured again. Nevertheless, we stay on deck, craning our necks, and continue to look up. A few minutes turn into more. Eventually, time ceases to matter.

Some things clearly lose none of their fascination, even when you’re not seeing them for the first time.
Matze & Thomas

Position: 56.543718, -61.687803