Bermuda's cruise ship season is set to kick off today barring any more unforeseen mishaps which have caused two cancellations already this year.

The Seabourn Pride is scheduled to sail into Hamilton Harbour and berth alongside Number One dock at 8 a.m. with 128 passengers on board.

The ship is out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is due to leave this afternoon for Ponta Delgada, said Meyer Agencies spokesman Stephen Paynter.

He added that the ship was still on schedule despite the poor weather between the Island and the US.

The Seabourn Cruise Line vessels are described as "the pinnacle of cruising elegance'' where "passengers pay an extremely high price for such luxury'' by travel publishers Fodor's.

Features include crystal glassware in the staterooms and marbled, circular atriums while the ship's stern can be lowered to create a platform with a central swimming area protected by wire netting.

Water sports are a key feature with the vessel carrying its own paddle boats and a glass-bottomed boat and they offer water skiing and sailing to passengers.

An added bonus is that all of the vessels' 106 cabins are outside cabins and they rate amongst the most spacious afloat.

Originally the Seabourn Pride was the Island's third scheduled caller but engine problems forced the first two vessels -- the Black Watch and the Lili Marleen to pull out of their planned trips to Bermuda.

In other shipping news, a favourite vessel amongst ship-watchers is set to call on the Island soon -- depending on the weather -- for the start of a five day stay.

Harnett & Richardson spokesman Julian Sykes said the British sail training vessel Astrid was due to arrive from the Caribbean and leave for England on April 9.

Mr. Sykes said the Astrid would grace Hamilton Harbour at some point during her visit but would likely go to Dockyard first.

The 100.9 foot two-masted tall ship, sponsored by Princess Anne, is one of the last of a distinguished breed -- the brigantine -- and is used by the Astrid Trust, a charity set up in England to teach teenagers the techniques required to sail a tall ship.

Several Bermudian youngsters have taken part in the intensive training course that includes travelling on the high seas from the Caribbean via the Azores to England with only basic necessities. This year Bermudian Timothy Davidson is sailing on the Astrid .

Built in Holland in 1918, Astrid was originally a topsail cargo schooner called Wuta . Given her present name in 1929, she traded in the Baltic until 1974. Damaged by fire in 1977, Astrid was completely restored between 1983 and 1988 and converted to a brigantine, which has five square sails on each mast.

Meanwhile a regular Bermuda feature returned to the Island on Sunday morning in the form of the Cable and Wireless cable-laying ship Sir Eric Sharp .

It sailed to the Island from Halifax following an engine refit and now takes up its station duty on the Island. It is berthed in Dockyard, said Mr.

Paynter.

John S. Darrell spokesman Saleem Talbot said the liquid propane tanker Emsgas was scheduled to arrive on Sunday from the Dominican Republic and discharge 9,000 barrels of propane at the Esso Oil Terminal in St. George's.

It is due to depart on Monday when it will head to Philadelphia.

Elsewhere the Somers Isle arrived on Sunday morning and left that afternoon after off loading 111 containers including 11 refrigerated containers.

It also brought a boat, a Ford tractor, a Bobcat excavation machine and 15 bundles of lumber and two empty steel tanks for Shell and Esso to the Island from Fernandina Beach.

The Bermuda Islander arrived on the following day with 79 dry containers and 10 refers. It also departed on the same day.

And the Oleander made its regularly scheduled voyage to the Island this week, arriving on Sunday with 23 refers, 103 dry containers, two cars, a boat and a trailer of construction materials which it off loaded before departing on Tuesday.

AHOY THERE! -- The spectacular British sail training brigantine Astrid is scheduled to breeze into Bermuda with her crew of youngsters on board.