Marines get a new kind of adventure in Newport boat race

If there’s no smiling in boot camp, laughing definitely isn’t permitted.

But that doesn’t stop some jokesters who try to get their fellow Marines to drop their guard, said Pfc. Kris Tolbert.

“If you get caught, the superior officers will yell at you, make you do pushups, crunches, high-knees, whatever, in rotation,” said Tolbert, 22, of Ohio. “If you don’t respond with a ‘yes, sir,’ it just gets worse. It’s all part of training.”

Fortunately for Tolbert and 21 other Marines, the Balboa Yacht Club didn’t institute any prohibition on fun during their visit to Newport Harbor on Thursday. In fact, laughter was encouraged.

Members of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines traveled to the yacht club from Camp Pendleton for an evening of fun, camaraderie and sailing as part of the club’s Beer Cans Summer Series, held annually from May to September. Newport Beach “adopted” the 1/1 in 2003 to help young enlisted Marines and their families.

“We want to be able to take them away from the real world for a few hours and show them a good time,” said club member Art Mitchell. “It’s a break from reality for them.”

After a photo, the service members split up on a half-dozen boats and hit the open water with yacht club members for a race.

Aboard the 40-foot sailboat Wild Thing, Tolbert and 19-year-old Pfc. Tyler Warren of West Virginia were hard at work helping to hoist the sails and pull lines under the direction of the experienced sailors.

The sailing men’s anticipation grew as the clock ticked closer to the race’s starting time. The women onboard found a spot far enough away from the action to enjoy the glassy water in Newport Harbor while sipping cocktails.

The idea was to move the boat across the imaginary starting line at the exact moment the horn blasted to begin the race, and to do it before any of the other vessels, most of which were much larger and faster, members of the Wild Thing crew said.

The other boats were still circling far behind when the horn sounded. Cheers erupted aboard Wild Thing.

Guests and sailors passed around cans of beer and chatted with the Marines, who had taken seats on the deck.

The hard work at the beginning of the race was familiar to the Marines, but the scenery in the harbor clashed with their usual view at Camp Pendleton, where they have been stationed since November.

After the race was won, Tolbert and Warren said it was their first experience on a sailboat.

“It was incredible,” Warren said. “Just unbelievable.”

Once the boats returned to the docks, club members and Marines sat down for a barbecue and conversation. Several people approached the Marines during the meal to thank them for their service.

“Whenever someone thanks me for my service, I thank them back,” said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Watkins, a 14-year Marine who has completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I couldn’t do what I do without their support.”