A restored replica of the square-rigged sailing ship that sparked a wave of Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia more than 250 years ago was relaunched Saturday with a mighty splash into Pictou harbour. After a restoration and public fundraising effort that began in 2019, the rebuilt hull of the Hector was eased into the water sideways during a colourful ceremony on the town’s scenic waterfront.
During the launch, the vessel was guided down seven ramps, known as launchways, after supporting wedges were removed — a process master shipbuilder Vern Shea described as a sight to see.
Shea was instrumental in the original build of the Hector replica, which was not fit for sailing, and was installed 25 years ago, next to the interpretive centre and outbuildings of the Hector Heritage Quay.
The wooden vessel was built from the original designs, using traditional methods and materials, Shea said. Over the years, the vessel wasn’t properly maintained and fell into disrepair before the Ship Hector Society bought it for a few dollars in 2010 from the town of Pictou.
The society has spearheaded a $4 million fundraising effort for the latest restoration, which required an extensive rebuild to transform the Hector into a fully working sailing vessel.
Inside the hull are two cramped compartments built as they would have been in 1773, when 189 men, women and children made the harrowing 11-week voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Smallpox claimed 18 lives during the journey.
“It would have been disgusting, there’s no two ways about it,” said Shea.
On its website, the Ship Hector Society says those who arrived aboard the Hector made “enormous cultural, political, intellectual and industrial contributions that shaped Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada.”
Saturday’s launch was attended by several dignitaries, such as Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, federal Attorney General Sean Fraser and Chief Tamara Young of the Pictou Landing First Nation.
Now that the ship is in the water and as more funding becomes available, the next phase of the project will begin, such as installing electric motors, masts and sails. It’s hoped the refurbished Hector will be ready for harbour tours by 2027.
Society chair Wes Surett said just over $2 million in public funds had been raised so far for the project, with another $1.8 million to go to finish the ship.
On Saturday, that effort got an added boost with a donation of $1.25 million, announced by David Sobey from the Sobeys grocery chain and co-chair of the Hector capital campaign.
Surett said the interpretive centre opened last month after an extensive revamp through funding from the federal and provincial governments. Future plans for the site also include the addition of a sailing program, along with a wooden shipbuilding school.
Surett said a Hector that can finally set sail will be the real money-maker. “We really see it (the ship) and that sailing experience generating the revenue to sustain the attraction long-term,” he said.
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