A group of Westport High School students took their place in the long proud line of Westport boat builders Saturday, when Osprey, a 14-foot sharpie, was launched for the first time at the Head of Westport.

Osprey is a faithful reproduction of Sandpiper, a sharpie built here in Westport in 1922. The students, all part of Westport Community Schools' boat building program, have been working off plans drawn from the original for months, and their education included much more than keel laying, rigging and joinery. They also learned about Westport's maritme history, marlinspike, and other associated disciplines.

The boat building program is a collaborative effort between the school district and Dharma Voyage. While past builds have been mostly of rowing gigs, this year's build was a departure. Dharma Voyage has a full complement of gigs, and program officials thought it would be good to branch into a different design this year.

Osprey fit the bill. The 14-foot shallow-drafted boat has a center board and is rigged for both sailing and rowing.

Saturday's launch went off without a hitch.