Passagemaker Magazine

Revived: The Camano 31

The Camano 31 trawler, out of production for years, has been added to the Helmsman Trawlers line and is now available for order. Helmsman, headquartered in Seattle, acquired the Camano name and all the tooling, and is now building the boat at the Helmsman Trawlers yard in China.

These popular boats (270 were built by the original factory) are known for their spacious interior, exceptional all-around visibility and large flybridge. A unique hull shape provides efficient performance, at any speed up to 18 knots, and remarkable stability.

The original builder, Camano Yachts of Delta, British Columbia, produced its last 31 in 2007. After that, Bracewell Boatworks of Richmond, British Columbia, built one. Then production shifted to Camano Yachts America, which built its last 31 in 2011.

While the hull will remain the same, Helmsman has updated the design with a new galley-up interior, including a pedestal berth forward, a separate shower compartment, a U-shaped dinette and more headroom in the saloon.

Exterior features include new designs for the exterior windows and rails, the addition of a radar arch and an optional hard cockpit cover. System changes include a larger holding tank and a Hyundai SeasAll engine—a V6 250hp power plant.

“This new and exciting version was designed with feedback from dozens of owners and from our personal experience selling, demonstrating and cruising these boats. They will be built with the same fine craftsmanship and excellent materials that distinguish our other Helmsman Trawlers,” says Scott Helker, principal of Helmsman Trawlers.

With the addition of the Camano 31, Helmsman Trawlers offers a range of small to midsize semi-displacement single-diesel trawlers up to 43 feet. Visit www.helmsmantrawlers.com.

Florida Anchor Wars
Continue To Simmer

The cruising wars continue in Florida with a lawsuit challenging the state’s anchoring policies and yet another uproar—this one at Boot Key Harbor—over police tactics.

In St. Augustine, a liveaboard sailor named Michael “Wolfy” MacDougall has sued the city and state in federal court, saying the state’s Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program violates his federally protected rights of navigation.

According to the St. Augustine Record, MacDougall had lived aboard his boat in the San Sebastian River more than 11 years, and was finally ticketed by St. Augustine city police in February 2012 for violating an ordinance that regulates where vessels can be anchored within city limits. He was cited for being anchored within 50 feet of the channel.

MacDougall, an Army vet who has crossed the Atlantic on his Hunter 30, told the Record that this was no longer about the ticket.

“I complied with the injunction and moved my boat away
from the channel,” he says. “But the reason I’m suing the
city and the state over this is because I believe strongly that
the rights of navigation and anchoring on the waterways are
fundamental ones, protected by federal law, and neither the
city nor the state can step on those rights.”
MacDougall’s lawsuit faces long odds. He is representing
himself, for one thing. By the time this magazine goes to
press, the suit may well have been dismissed.

The 50-foot rule is a component of the city’s Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program, which was enacted in December 2011 and granted through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Under a state law passed in 2009, no city or county can regulate anchoring within its borders unless