Members of the Tulugak family in Rankin Inlet may not have been born in dories, but they took to the waves quickly when they were first introduced to a family boat.
David Tulugak recently spent 10 days in Naujaat, where he was joined for a few days by family members Sandra, Lori and Jeff. His sister, Lori, invited him to Naujaat to pass the time while a flooring project was being completed in his Rankin Inlet home.
It was David's first chance to travel in eight years — except for medical travel to Winnipeg — so he readily accepted the offer. Sandra and Jeff joined him in Naujaat a few days later.
David said most of his family enjoys boating and it's been that way since his father (Mike) purchased a boat in Manitoba.
He said another brother, Johnny, actually designed the vessel his father bought, and the family went down to Churchill to sail it home.
"Johnny was pretty proud of the job he did designing the boat," said David. "At first it was almost all family outings in the boat around the Rankin area, but then we started using it for long round-trips to Naujaat or behind Chesterfield Inlet to go hunting.
"It was mostly always long trips from that point on. My mom and dad (Mike and Jacqueline) are both from Naujaat."
David said everyone in the family continued to love boating as the years went past.
He said it's always a lot of fun when the Tulugak family goes on a boating trip together.
"We get to enjoy the scenery and wildlife together, as well as enjoying each other's company.
"Unfortunately, we never got to go to Wager Bay together as a family, but my wife (Marlene) got to see Wager Bay with (Rankin Inlet mayor) Harry Towtongie. I'm still waiting to get there one day."
Among all the family members, David said those who are real skippers and can take a boat just about anywhere are his brother, Jeff; his nephew, Cody; and his two sons, Shane and Nathan.
He said he can also skipper a boat when healthy, but he hasn't been able to since suffering a stroke on Oct. 2, 2017.
"I can't do much of anything right now, so I'll just enjoy the scenery and let them do the heavy lifting. When my father was still active, we'd, as a family, go to Diane River and do some fishing in a smaller boat. Having a boat allows you to put together a lot of great lifelong memories.
"When we all go on a trip together, like to Naujaat, my favourite part of the experience is mainly connecting with family members who are always busy. It's good to have family time together, just to talk with them and enjoy life together on the trip.
"It's, really, all about having fun, and the folks in Naujaat are always happy to see us come for a visit. I still have family up there and it's always great to be able to visit them more.
"And, now that the boat is back in Rankin and Lori has a job now in Rankin in human resources with the Government of Nunavut, we'll be able to do more boat trips together."
