TALE OF SAILS\Ventura County museum steeped in maritime lore.

Byline: R.A. Hutchinson Daily News Staff Writer

The red hues of lantern light cast a glow on the horse and carriage drawing up to a tavern near the docks in John Stobart's oil work "Vallejo Street Wharf."

The scene from 1863 San Francisco is one of the crown jewels among the maritime artifacts at the Ventura County Maritime Museum, a nautical collection ranging from ship portraits to 10-foot long model ships, created in intricate detail by master carver Edward Marple.

"I consider this painting one of the highlights of the museum," says Bob Scott, a volunteer docent for the museum. "He was known for his use of light."

A second Stobart oil catches a sunset behind myriad lines and sails of a tall, wooden ship.

The museum, housed in a New England-style gray and white-trimmed building, is in the complex of restaurants and shops along Channel Islands Harbor at the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard. Opened five years ago, the nonprofit museum served more than 20,000 visitors last year from more than 30 countries.

"The whole museum is self-supporting. We do get some entrepreneur funds from the county," says Mark Bacin, executive director of the museum since Jerry Miller's retirement a little more than a month ago.

"We're going to continue to grow. Our goal is to become recognized outside Ventura County," Bacin said.

Museum officials are hopeful that an upcoming anniversary celebration over the President's Day weekend will help achieve that goal. The weekend will include videos about maritime adventures, country-western dancing, a watercolor exhibit, a workshop on model ship building and tours of Coast Guard vessels.

"We want to let people know we're here," Bacin said.

Another way the museum is spreading its reputation is through its educational outreach program, directed at school children in the county. A display in one corner features a half-dozen examples of knot-tying learned by students in the program.

"The outreach program is one we're very proud of. Last year about 1,400 students participated," Bacin said. "They enjoy the knot-tying and the sea chanteys. And they're fascinated by the models."

Yes, the models. The Maritime Museum has dozens of ship models, from tiny replicas of the canoes used by the Chumash to travel from California's mainland to the nearby Channel Islands to models of English warships.

Scott, who leads tours for maritime visitors, led the way to several glass display cases protecting the work of Marple. A series of models shows Marple's progress from using a kit model to the mammoth and detailed rendition of the "Sovereign of the Seas."

The Sovereign sailed between 1637 and 1696, a ship commissioned by England's royalty. Marple's work details the elaborately carved masthead of the ship and the stern, where the openings of the windows were designed by master ship builder Phineas Pett as the signs of the zodiac.

"She was the high-tech ship of her day," Scott said.

Unfortunately, the massive wooden ship fell victim to a candle left unattended in one of the stern rooms.

"She had a sad ending. She burned and sank at the docks," Scott said.

Nine examples of Marple's work, as well as the Marina del Rey artist's tools and work bench, are exhibited at the museum.

Other ship carvers had more difficulty in obtaining the beautiful woods used in Marple's modern-day models. These unfortunates were prisoners of war captured on the high seas by England's mighty naval force and ensconced in British hulks - worn out ships used as prisons.

The Maritime Museum has three examples of "prisoner of war class" ship models, carved from the scarce resources available to prisoners. The most common material was bone, fed to the prisoners with their ration of soup.

To visit the museum, exit Victoria Avenue from the Ventura Freeway (101) and follow Victoria south about five miles toward Channel Islands Harbor. The museum is in a block of shops at the corner of Victoria and Channel Islands Boulevard, 27231 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard.There is no admission charge, though donations are encouraged. Museum hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday from September to May. During the summer months, the museum is open daily. For more information, call [phone].

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Photo (1--Color) The Maritime Museum contains a model of the 18th century frigate Le Flore. Dusty Locke/Special to the Daily News (2--Conejo edition only) On loan from the Murry Family, a model of the Mayflower is displayed at the museum. Dusty Locke/Special to the Daily News