A replica 19th Century tall ship was scheduled to sail into Bermuda last night for its first port of call during a year-long world tour.

The Pride of Baltimore II , the only copy of an 1800s Baltimore Clipper Topsail Schooner, was to announce her arrival in St. George with a tradional cannon salute.

And despite seas running around ten feet outside the reef, the ship -- Captained by Jan Miles -- arrives two days ahead of schedule.

Visitors meanwhile, will have a chance to view Pride of Baltimore II over the weekend; crew members will be conducting free tours between 12 and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Pride of Baltimore II will sail for Hamilton and a private reception on Monday and leave for San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday morning.

She will then continue on her Asia with PRIDE 1998 Tour, sailing through the Panama Canal to Honolulu, Hawaii, in February and on to Shanghai, China.

The ship, docked at Ordnance Island, is carrying a Maryland schoolteacher who will visit upper primary students at St. George's Preparatory School.

Teacher Leslie Bridgett was selected for the trip by the Maryland State Department under a national programme.

Funding was provided in memory of a Space Shuttle disaster victim, fellow teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died in the 1985 tragedy.

Ms Bridgett is using the Pride II's Internet web site to send logs back to Maryland students from all over the world.

Her travels can be followed from Bermuda as well; web surfers can find her at www.pride2.org .

After Shanghai, the ship will visit Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan before heading back to the United States.

She is expected to return to her home port, Baltimore, on November 27, 1998.

Pride of Balitmore II was commissioned in 1988 and has logged over 125,000 nautical miles, visting 25 countries, 40 ports, and hosted over 500,000 visitors.