Can't set chart Axis title (.caption) - vba

Question

I have a script that sets some ranges, then creates a chart. All goes well until .Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).Caption = "Time from Sent to Rec'd" where I get the error "Run-time error '438': Object doesn't support this property or method".
Here's my code:
Sub CreateChart()
dim avgWS as worksheet: set avgWS = activesheet
...[code here, setting the ranges and such]....
''' TIME TO CREATE THE CHART!!
with avgws
Dim newChart As Chart
' Set newChart = Charts.Add
Set newChart = Charts.Add.Location(xlLocationAsObject, avgWS.name)
With newChart
.ChartType = xlLineMarkers
.SeriesCollection.NewSeries
With .SeriesCollection(1)
.name = chartName
.Values = thePeopleChartValues
End With
.SeriesCollection.NewSeries
With .SeriesCollection(2)
.name = avgWS.Cells(1, dayLimitCol).Value
.Values = dayLimitValues
End With
.SeriesCollection.NewSeries
With .SeriesCollection(3)
.name = avgWS.Cells(1, overalltheAvgCol).Value
.Values = theAverages
End With
.HasTitle = True
.Axes(xlCategory).CategoryType = xlCategoryScale
.SetElement (msoElementPrimaryValueAxisTitleRotated)
.Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).Caption = "Time from the Sent to Shares Rec'd" '''' ERROR HERE!!
.SetElement (msoElementPrimaryCategoryAxisTitleAdjacentToAxis)
.Axes(xlCategory).Caption = "the Date"
.SetElement (msoElementChartTitleCenteredOverlay)
.Axes(xlCategory).Caption = "='CY 2014-15B Averages'!R1C2"
.SetElement (msoElementLegendRightOverlay)
.SetElement (msoElementLegendBottom)
End With
I've only included the Chart part, but if you would like/need more of the code just let me know. I have ranges and such set up, and get no errors there. It's only when I try to create the .Captions. If I walk through the code, via F8 and skip the three .caption lines, the chart gets created like I want....just how do I set those Axis captions? The macro recorder isn't much help (that's how I got to where I am now).
edit: Hm, if I use
.Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).HasTitle = True
.Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).AxisTitle.Characters.Text = "whatever whatever"
it sets the horizontal axis caption to "Whatever whatever". I guess I'm making progress, but I want that to be the vertical title, not horizontal and can't figure out how to do so.

Answer 1

Before you start formatting the axis title, create it:
.Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).HasTitle = True
Then to access the caption make sure you go through the AxisTitle object:
.Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).AxisTitle.Caption = ""
Then use
.Axes(xlCategory, xlPrimary).AxisTitle.Orientation = xlVertical
Hope that helps.