DISABLED SAILORS: They may not be able...

DISABLED SAILORS: They may not be able to walk, but half a dozen disabled people are learning to sail. . . . The program, started in May by the city of Ventura, uses a 26-foot boat to teach basic sailing techniques (B2).

NEEDY STUDENTS: While enrollment is down at Ventura County community colleges (B1), requests for financial aid are way up. “It’s definitely the most I’ve ever seen,” said Dora Washington, who has worked at Moorpark College for 22 years. Aid requests there are up 72%. . . . At Ventura College, 46% more students are requesting aid this year compared to last. Financial aid officer Nancy Davis cited several factors: higher fees, rule changes that make more middle-income families eligible for aid, and a new loan program open to all regardless of need. . . . A 12-hour course load--considered full time--costs $156, but with books and fees the figure can easily top $400.

BURR’S MENTOR: Raymond Burr, who died Sunday, made Perry Mason the most famous lawyer in the world. But long before Burr brought the role to television, Erle Stanley Gardner was cranking out Perry Mason mysteries in the study of his home on Foster Avenue in Ventura. . . . Gardner practiced law in Oxnard and Ventura from 1911 to the mid-1930s, then turned to writing full time. . . . It was Gardner who insisted that CBS cast Burr as Mason for the TV series--after the actor tried out for the role of Hamilton Burger, the ever-frustrated prosecutor. . . . Gardner died in 1970. A memorial to the county’s best-selling author has been talked about but never built.

CROQUET, ANYONE? Two years ago, Sherwood Country Club opened croquet lawns across from its golf course. Since then, about 50 members have taken up the sport, and this week the club plays host to the U.S. Croquet Assn.’s national championship. . . . “It’s enjoying newfound appreciation in the U.S.,” said club spokesman Brooks Roddan. Twenty-four players from across the country will compete in the six-day tournament, which is open to the public. . . . In keeping with croquet’s patrician image, no prize money is awarded.