The captain always goes down with the ship, and on Monday morning, so did the crews of "The Drifter," "The Black Pearl," and the "S.S. Sparkle."

Of course, made out of cardboard and duct tape, the vessels were not exactly Coast Guard approved, but Old Rochester Regional seventh graders put in many hours designing (and naming) their vessels in anticipation of their boat race at the YMCA.

Science teacher Kathryn Gauvin said the boat building project is a fun way for kids to use engineering and teamwork.

"They're encouraged to give some thought to the design," said Gauvin. "I wanted a challenge for the kids to do at the end of the year and make use of our resources and get out of the building. It's a great celebration."

Most boats were manned by two people who had to navigate their boats from the YMCA pier around a floatie and back.

The majority of students used watermelon boxes to construct their boats, but the team, known as The Pollywogs, chose cardboard tubes instead. Having two rowers powering the boat helped.

When asked if they had a chance at winning the timed race, Hannah Johnson said confidently, "We won't drown."

The Pollywogs had a good showing as did the cleverly named "Holy Ship," the "Ship Happens" and the "ORR's in Motion."

Others, however, failed to follow the mantra "don't rock the boat" and were forced to sink or swim.

"Some will definitely sink and will get the Titanic award," predicted Gauvin.

Several parents lined the beach to watch the race. Mom Christine Winters wasn't so sure her daughter Julia and partner Ian Friedrichs boat, "The Drifter," would fare well on the high seas.

"It may be the 'The Sinker' but we'll have to see," said Winters. "They put a lot of effort into it. It wasn't last minute at all."

"The Drifter" made it about halfway through the course before meeting its doom at the bottom of the ocean. (All pieces were dragged ashore and removed from the beach.)

Fortunately for those ships that were less than seaworthy, the race never drifted more than a few yards from shore.

And even those who capsized had a good attitude, especially the crew of "S.S. Sparkle."

"We fell in, but we got back in. That's all that matters," said Maya Doonan. "And it sparkled."