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There's only one watersport in which I can claim basic competence and therefore enjoyment. It's stand-up paddle boarding.

That's admittedly odd, given that I'm not naturally balanced, nor particularly comfortable in the water. But while I can't surf, and find kayaking to be a backache in the making, I never regret jumping on a paddleboard.

There is such serenity on the water. It's as if the everyday distractions buzzing around in your head are afraid to get wet. They don't follow you past the dock or beach when you push off and start paddling.

Even better, my wife likes paddle boarding. Really, she likes any water sport. But this is the one aquatic pursuit where our divergent athletic abilities and interests overlap.


So, with a chance to get out of town at the last minute for one night, Channel Islands Harbor was an obvious destination for us.

Oxnard is just an hour from Santa Clarita. And the Hampton Inn there overlooks a public dock, making it a perfect base for a paddling-focused get-away.

After checking in to our third-floor marina-view room, we embarked on what would have been a sunset cruise. The fog had other plans, however, muting the sun and enveloping the harbor in its fluffy embrace.

We paddled north, and after crossing under the Channel Islands Boulevard bridge, we turned into the side channels. We glided past boats tied up in front of waterfront homes and dockside fisherpeople angling for bat rays but bringing up seaweed. Patio grills sent smells of sizzling burgers and charring chicken across the water.

We stayed out for about an hour, returning just as the craft in the harbor were turning on their red and green running lights.
The dock, empty at our departure, was now occupied by trespassers. Several sea lions hauled out and sprawled over where we had planned to disembark. They eyed us warily, so we took the hint and exited the water on another part of the dock.

Wanting to make the most of our time away, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel the next morning. It was surprisingly good for free hotel fare, especially the Greek yogurt smoothies.
The water was still calm as we paddled, this time south toward the mouth of the harbor. And we even saw the sun. At the breakwater, we found a small beach and pulled in. April went up and ordered coffee and an acai bowl while I stayed with the boards and watched a parade of weekend sailors pass by. Sail boats, cabin cruisers, kayaks and open-bow fishing boats were headed out. The fog staged an encore, rolling back in and smothering the view of open water beyond. Visibility was so limited, the fog horn started blowing.

We ended our get-away with lunch at Finney's Crafthouse on the corner of Main and California streets in Ventura.

Rather than wait 30 minutes for our own table, we found two empty seats at the end of the large communal table past the bar.

Taking a cue from our table mates, April ordered the blackberry gin fizz, it was a sweet, sparkling compliment to the warm afternoon. We shared the perfectly cooked coconut shrimp and the prosciutto arugula flatbread. The cauliflower crust was deceptively good. If I hadn't ordered it, I wouldn't have known it was gluten free. The Moroccan salad brought together mixed greens, dried cherries, almonds, shaved carrots, cucumber, tomato, feta, crispy chick peas and quinoa, splashed with charred lemon vinaigrette. The distinctive combination delivered a satisfying alternative to more predictable lunch-time salad choices.

It was a short trip, but delivered everything we went looking for - time on the water, time together and a tasty meal.
Eric Harnish lives in Castaic, which is abundant in water, but lacking in sea lions.

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Hampton Inn Channel Islands Harbor hilton.com/en/hampton
Finney's Crafthouse finneyscrafthouse.com