Spirit of Bermuda has arrived ahead of schedule for a major tall ships rally in Virginia.The 118ft triple-masted sloop will take part in the OpSail 2012 in Yorktown this weekend and in Norfolk the following weekend.The OpSail 2012 is a major tall ships and naval rally and port festival celebrating the War of 1812 by declaration of the US Congress.Spirit was able to arrive on Tuesday after travelling a considerable distance in 25 knot winds the previous night.With Captain Scott Jackson at the helm and a crew of 24, Spirit set sail for Virginia last Saturday.Both Norfolk and Yorktown have strong historical ties to Bermuda dating from the 18th century and the American Revolution.Norfolk was largely developed by Bermudian merchant mariners in the 18th century and Yorktown, located near Jamestown, is where the British surrendered to the rebel colonies.Once the tourism mission in Virginia concludes, Spirit will sprint up the coast to Newport, Rhode Island to begin preparations for the Newport Bermuda Race.Spirit alone was invited to compete in this year’s 635-nautical mile race in the ‘Spirit of Tradition’ division which is an experiment with the reintroduction of traditional schooner-rigged vessels.The ‘Spirit of Tradition’ division will highlight Spirit’s traditional design and the prevalence of the schooner rig in yacht racing in the early years of the Newport Bermuda Race.The Royal Gazette will be among the crew of 32 aboard Spirit for the Newport Bermuda Race and will provide regular updates on the sloop’s progress from Castle Hill, Newport to St David’s, Bermuda, on our website, www.royalgazette.com.In all, there are four local entries (Nasty Medicine, 40 Degrees, Tiburón and Spirit) competing in this year’s Newport Bermuda Race, which starts June 15.Spirit was designed by noted naval architect Bill Langan of Langan Design Associates of Newport, Rhode Island, built by Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine and launched in 2006.Spirit is a purpose-built sail-training vessel based on civilian Bermudian-type schooners built in Bermuda between 1810 and 1840.In nearly six years of operation since September 2006, Spirit has provided a character development programme for over 2,600 young people and has sailed over 38,000 miles in overseas voyages to 17 ports in ten countries.