Hector, Replica fluyt museum ship in Pictou, Canada

The Hector is a replica of a Dutch fluyt merchant vessel with three masts, displayed at the waterfront at Hector Heritage Quay. The vessel shows the construction and proportions of ships built for long ocean voyages across the Atlantic.

The original was built in the Netherlands before 1750 and carried Scottish emigrants to North America in 1773. This voyage marked the beginning of a major Scottish migration wave that shaped the population of eastern Canada.

The ship is tied to Gaelic-speaking Highland culture: most of the 189 passengers of 1773 were crofters and artisans from Loch Broom, and the schoolmaster William McKenzie was among the few who spoke both Gaelic and English. The Hector Heritage Quay keeps that memory with blacksmith, carpentry and rigger shops.

The Hector Heritage Quay on Pictou's waterfront is open from May to October. Its three-storey interpretive centre houses blacksmith, carpentry and rigger workshops, and visitors can watch work on the ship from the quay. The vessel is a replica launched in 2000, not the 1773 original.

The replica was built by Scotia Trawlers of Lunenburg, and visitors on the Pictou waterfront could watch it take shape over several years. It was launched on 17 September 2000, a day later than planned because of bad weather on the 16th.