Accountant Jeff Hass got plenty of warning.

With a house and office already stuffed with nautical art and memorabilia, his wife, Nancy, told him not to go overboard bidding at the annual auction Sunday at the Ventura County Maritime Museum.

But the Moorpark resident and plenty of other aficionados of maritime history didn't listen.

The event that is the museum's biggest fundraiser of the year drew a bumper crowd of 100 people, about 50 percent more than last year.

"It was fantastic," said Mark Bacin, executive director of the museum at Channel Islands Harbor near Oxnard.

Although proceeds won't be known until later this week, Bacin said Sunday that the auction was the most lucrative the museum has held in its 17-year history. Many of the items were donated by local artists and their families.

Located at the Fisherman's Wharf shopping and dining center, the museum offers an array of ship models and artwork, many collected by marina developer Harry Nelson before his death. The museum includes scores of museum-quality ship models, and originals by eminent maritime artist John Stobart and Dutch masters dating from the 1600s.

About 18,000 people visit the museum each year, including thousands of schoolchildren, Bacin said.

The auction usually raises about $10,000 for the museum, which has an annual budget of $250,000, Bacin said.

Charity officials said the fundraising atmosphere was predicted to be tough this year because of growing competition and the state of the economy, but so far, Bacin said he hasn't seen that materialize for the museum.

"Our membership has continued to increase; our support from the public has continued to increase," he said.

The auction offered items for the budget-conscious as well as the big spenders: Bidders gave as little as $20 and as much as $800 for ship models.

Hass left with $1,200 in purchases, enough that he has to come back with a truck today to carry them away.

Included were items large and small, from plates and books to a heavy wooden ship's cupboard table, a captain's wheel and a compass.

The allure of maritime history and ships is strong for Hass.

"I love to have this stuff around me," said Hass, who has displayed his treasures in his Moorpark home and Camarillo office. "Especially when you're a boring accountant, you have to have some fantasy."

He wasn't sure how he was going to tell his wife about his haul, nor did he know exactly where he would put it.

"I still haven't put away all the stuff I bought last year."