The Waverley Gazette

Remembering The Ship Hector - The Arduous Voyage of 1773

In 1773, The Ship Hector set sail from Scotland with 189 Scots aboard, emigrating to Nova Scotia with high hopes for a better life. 

The voyage was 11 weeks of hardship and misery, with dwindling supplies and dysentery and smallpox claiming 18 lives.

The Hector was the first ship to arrive in Nova Scotia directly from Scotland. When the settlers arrived in Mi’kmaqi, at Pictou Harbour on September 15, 1773, the indigenous Mi’kmaq people played a vital role in helping them survive.

Mi’kma’ki  - the Northern Woodlands, is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Price Edward Island and eastern Quebec.

A replica of the Ship Hector was launched in 2000 and was moored alongside Hector Heritage Quay in Pictou.

July 12th 2025 sees the launch of the refurbished replica Ship Hector at Pictou, Nova Scotia.

In the heart of Nova Scotia, at Pictou Harbour, the fully restored Ship Hector replica adds to the story of Canadian maritime history. The refurbishment stands not merely as an event, but as a reminder of our heritage, human help and resilience, and the strong ties between Scotland and Canada. This newsletter looks at the story of the restored replica Hector, exploring its significance, the community spirit that brought it to life, and the promise it holds for the future. 

The Story of the Original Hector 

To truly appreciate the feelings surrounding the new replica Hector, one must return to 1773, when the original Hector sailed from Scotland, carrying 189 Highlanders. They were seeking a new start in Nova Scotia. Many had lost their land and were promised a new place with farming and a plentiful life. The boat they sailed in from Ullapool, however, was not seaworthy. The late summer departure and storms they then encountered meant they ran out of food and people died on board. Many spoke Gaelic and not English. Their hopes were tested. That arduous journey marked  the first boat of ‘large-scale Scottish immigration to Canada’ but it was not the first boat to Canada. Many people from Scotland had been travelling since 1600 - soldiers, traders, settlers, people who were working for the New France and Hudson Bay. Also there were loyalist Scots who arrived after the American Revolution. However, the Hector did become a mark in the cultural and social area of Pictou and the broader Maritimes. The Hector’s legacy is told with stories of determination, perseverance, and the need for a new identity far from home. For many, the ship is more than a boat — it is a symbol of courage and then the help that was given to the new settlers from those already settled whose ancestors had lived there from early times.