Chris Erdmann pilots his boat around another competitor in the Great Cardboard Boat Race at the Maritime Academy of Toledo on Water Street downtown. The craft that participated in the race yesterday afternoon were designed and built by students in the academy's Boat Building II class, using only cardboard, duct tape, and glue.

Pilot Malyn Imai is hoisted into her boat by Trevor Glenn with help from other members of their team: from left, Justin Vasquez, Matt Copeland, Christian Hannah, Will Moore, and Henry Brown.

Renee Marazon, superintendent of the Maritime Academy, explained that the boat-building class is part of the charter school's Maritime Career Tech Education program, which she said is ‘the only such high school diploma and degree course of study in the state of Ohio.'

First Published March 6, 2010, 12:30 p.m.