A couple hundred people gathered on the shore of Nequasset Brook in Woolwich to witness the launching of two student-crafted skiffs during a break in rainy weather  June 13, according to town officials and residents who attended the ceremony.

“It went well,” Woolwich Selectman Lloyd Coombs said. Members of the Maine Maritime Museum, town officials, Woolwich Central School students and staff, residents and others braved somewhat damp weather to see the completion of a year-long boatbuilding project.

The program, offered through the Maine Maritime Museum’s Boat Shop, is sponsored in large part by the Bank of Maine and the town of Woolwich, as well as by generous unnamed benefactors.

“I don’t think there is one straight line on a boat,” Coombs said, adding that it takes significant effort for students to apply theoretical knowledge to two plank-on-frame flat-bottom skiffs ready for launch by the end of the school year.

Coombs said he is a strong supporter of the program as it is a great experience for students.

“It’s really a good program and it has gotten a lot of support,” volunteer instructor Nickolas Locsin said. “I enjoy watching the kids learn.”

Fourteen seventh and eighth grade students at Woolwich Central School wrote essays as part of their application to the program last September, as has been the practice for the past five years, according to Locsin.

Parents are often involved in the process and students must demonstrate their commitment.

Students begin the program by constructing personal tool boxes, which they are allowed to take home with them, according to Boat Shop Manager Kurt Spiridakis. The design phase of each skiff begins with half models mounted on boards (called “lofting.”) The curriculum stays pretty much the same from year to year, Spiridakis said, but there are differences. Design of each of the skiffs varies.  Students also travel to different locations each year to learn the many facets of boat construction.

“We’re not churning out junior boat builders here,” he said. “But our goal is to get kids to use skills in science, math and engineering outside the classroom.” Spiridakis said the program also gives students a chance to build confidence, to work on a team and see a project through to its end.

Spiridakis said it is often difficult to tell by the look on students’ faces and their reactions to the work whether they are enjoying the experience, until launch day. Their smiles, evident pride and enthusiasm in seeing their work afloat on Nequasset Brook “brings everything together.”

In addition to speeches made by Bank of Maine officials and program directors, students were given the opportunity to speak in front of their teachers, parents and peers about their experience during Thursday’s ceremony. “It’s kind of cool to be part of that,” Spiridakis said.

Conflict over a “blessing of the fleet” was absent on Nequasset Brook, unlike a similar boat launching ceremony in South Bristol on June 14 where some residents have raised concerns about the tradition. This was due to the absence of a blessing given by an ordained minister, according to Spiridakis.

Spiridakis said the boatbuilding program has not had a blessing of the fleet since the first year. It was not a deliberate avoidance of potential conflict, though. “There was nobody in charge of that,” he said, adding they are not opposed to the practice; but instead are more focused on the getting the finished boats in the water and celebrating students’ accomplishments. “We just want the launch to be about the kids and the boats,” Spiridakis said.

The Boat Shop blog online is temporarily on hold, but a lot of information about the students’ work this past year is available on the blog. Visit blogs.mainemaritimemuseum.org/boatshop to learn more.