LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After it was canceled in 2020 and 2021, the Cardboard Boat Regatta returned Wednesday to Jeffersontown High School for the 23rd year.

About 60 students from the schools Computer-aided Design (CAD) program spent the last few months designing and building their boats made entirely from cardboard and duct tape. They typically have more students participating but wanted to ease back in with a smaller group for the first year after the pandemic.

"It's so much fun just getting out here with the kids and cutting loose," aid Jason Stepp, a CAD teacher at Jeffersontown High School. "I probably look forward to it more than anything."

Student teams are given specifications for their boats as guidelines, and on race day, they have to go the length of the pool and back.

Those that complete the CAD course will leave with a software certification that will allow many to begin work with a company right after school.

"We send kids into the field of mechanical engineering, we'd had kids graduate from (the University of Louisville's) Speed School (and) we've had kids go right into the workforce, doing drafting," said Jason Stepp, a CAD teacher at Jeffersontown High School.

Eighteen teams competed in the tournament-style race Wednesday. The students had no idea if their design and build will float until they got in the pool, but everyone managed to stay above water. Their grade is not based on the results of the race. It’s just for bragging rights.

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