Woody Belsheim had one question when he gave his niece, Rozanne Enerson Junker, a miniature sealskin kayak made for him in 1944 by Inuit hunter Renatus Tuglavina: Would it be possible for you to find out what happened to Renatus…and to his daughter, Harriot?

Woody had seldom spoken about his World War II service when he and six other G.I.s manned a secret American weather station in Hebron, Labrador. But sixty-five years later, and nearing the end of his life, he hoped to find out what had become of the Inuit family who had transformed what could have been a year of painful isolation into an year of unimaginable adventures.

Using the kayak as a spirit guide, Junker travelled thousands of miles across Canada, the United States and England. Each step along the way, stunning discoveries presented themselves: the existence of a weather station lost to time, Renatus’ larger than life footprint on Labrador history, and his and Harriot’s tragic destinies.

Renatus’ Kayak is a true detective story that delves into military history, Inuit culture, wartime politics and a star-crossed love.