CAMDEN — For two days, the parking lot of Camden’s Public Landing was an open workshop of sawing, drilling and nailing as six teams worked furiously to construct their own boats to test in the annual Camden Windjammer Festival’s Build-A-Boat — and race — contest. On Sunday, at high noon and under a hot sun, the competition was on. The rowers were fierce, and in the end, it was neck and neck right to the end.

And everybody won, in one way or another.

The build-up was long and extensive, but the course was short, and took but a few minutes as the boats raced from the dock at the foot of the Public Landing wharf, behind the schooners, around the dinghy docks and back toward the same dock from which they launched.

At first it was a melee, but then a few of the plywood hulls pulled away from the pack and into the lead.

In the end, the fastest was Iahah, with Aiden Darling and Havana Lyman reaching the dock first, as they paddled with intensity. The name Iahah represents the first letters of their own names combined.

The Sea Turtle, built by David Young and Tiffany Fowlie, of Medford, earned the Peoples’ Choice award. Their team name: SCUBA (Self Creating Undiscovered Boat Artisans).

Watermellon got the award for finishing first with both rowers and builders under the age 16.

Fourth place went to the Green Torpedo.

The Bail Outs won Best Design, with a bow that lifted high above the water and a pair of fins below for stability. Rob Harris, Chase Morin, Megan Siegenthaler and Hunter Horn built that vessel.

Piece of Cake won First to Sink (or most likely to sink by popular decision) but did not really sink. It was also the vessel with the entire Linares family contributing to its construction, and rowing.  

Find all the coverage about Windjammer Weekend collected here.

The annual Camden Windjammer Festival is three days of events on and around the harbor, kicking off with the arrival of the fleet and guest boats all afternoon Friday, Aug. 29. Boats big and small, including a bevy of beloved schooners (the star of the show) will make their way into Camden via the outer harbor and wind their way down the eastern channel, seeking out their pre-planned tie-up spots at the head of the harbor.

The Friday before Labor Day weekend is a big day in Camden, but the Festival continued through until Sunday night, when Harbormaster Steve Pixley hosted a DJ Dance Party on the public landing, under the big tent.

The 2014 Camden Windjammer Festival website includes information about the windjammer fleet, day sailers and harbor tour boats, and links to the visiting boats.