What's it like to work the boats at WaterFire Providence? Amy Russo was stoked to find out

When playing with fire, there’s one rule to remember.

“Just be ready, and watch out for the sparks,” said Kevin Dugan, a WaterFire participant who traveled from Middletown last month to pitch in on the ritual that turns Providence’s three downtown rivers into beaming trails of light.

Dugan typically works on the boats, which, in the words of captain Deb Mero, “pull about a half a ton of wood and a half a ton of people.” Named after figures from Greek mythology such as Apollo, Aphrodite and Daedalus, the vessels are equipped for the job.

It all begins early in the day when workers, all of whom are volunteers, arrive for the morning build to stack piles of wood in braziers. Street lights are covered so as not to detract from the art. The boats are filled with pine logs, carefully arranged to allow for a small aisle of standing room for those who will later feed the fires.

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At nightfall, the groups don all-black ensembles and set out in the boats to begin the lighting, guided by some dozen-plus captains. While they’re not navigating the high seas, the job is anything but easy.

“We have five gondolas, two river boats, an access boat and five guest boats on a normal full WaterFire night,” said Mero, who added that kayaks and canoes sometimes join in, creating a virtual highway of traffic. It wasn't long ago that small green lights were finally affixed to the gondolas, signaling their presence.

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To get Mero’s job, if you think you can handle it, you’ll have to enroll in classroom training and practice on the water, as well as passing a safety class led by the harbormaster. Tack on a couple of years as first mate learning to drive, and eventually, you’ll make your way to captain status. All in all, acquiring a license to drive a 3-ton car is easier.

But many of WaterFire’s tasks can be accomplished by newcomers. That’s how I started.

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In my mission to experience all things Rhode Island, WaterFire had long been on my list, so when its creator, Barnaby Evans, gave me a chance to torch some 15 braziers, I didn’t pass it up. Unlike helming the boat, this job is actually as simple as it looks.

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A few basics to remember: First, long pants and a long-sleeve shirt are your friends, even on a balmy day. When hot ashes begin flying from the braziers, you’ll realize why. Second, wear gloves, for all the obvious reasons. Third, no excessive waving to the crowd. That one was hard to resist. Anyone who’s been to a lighting is likely familiar with the grinning faces of onlookers on land who throw their arms in the air, looking for a reciprocal greeting from those in the boats below, the excitement growing as those in the assembly line ready themselves for action.

The start of the music, a mix of meditative rhythms, orchestral melodies and a brassy march, signals that it’s time to get started. Each of the boats moves slowly toward the Providence Place mall where lighters stand waiting for boats to pass with torches extended.

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After igniting their torches, those in the boats proceed to light the braziers, inside of which sit cardboard structures containing nests and a wick in paraffin wax — essentially kindling for the fires.

Once the braziers are lit, the torches are extinguished in the river, and volunteers pivot to feeding the fires as the captain slows the boat before each one so that logs can be added.

For a couple of hours, the assembly line chugs along methodically, many times with the help of old hands who were inspired to join in after seeing it from the audience.

Sparking a passion in volunteers

Eric Peabody first saw the spectacle about 15 years ago while driving his now-adult son, who has nonverbal autism, to a summer camp in the state. On their way, the family decided to stay overnight in Providence, when Peabody said they “stumbled onto” the show.

His son, he recalls, was “beside himself, entranced with the music and the visuals of everything, and he just really loved the experience.”

Now that his family has moved to East Greenwich, Peabody has taken to volunteering as a way to meet new friends.

Longtime Rhode Islander Josh Jeffris, who has spent six years as a volunteer, first saw WaterFire while hanging out at the mall nearby during his early teenage years. To this day, the visual has stuck.

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“When you see the torch procession come down, and the ring of fire being completed, and you hear the music — pure magic,” Jeffris said.

While the art is what everyone comes to see, bringing people together is the real intent, said Evans, recalling the days before WaterFire when East Side residents who live within walking distance of the rivers would not take the time to come see them.

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Evans wondered, “Could we use art to prime the pump to get residents to come down to look at the space?”

Nearly 30 years later, the answer is still a resounding yes.

This article is based on the July 30 WaterFire lighting, which was dedicated to promoting awareness of Hepatitis C and Providence Dr. Lynn Taylor's campaign, RI Defeats Hep C. To learn more about the lighting's mission, see WaterFire's website at waterfire.org and the campaign's website at ridefeatshepc.com. Want to volunteer? Email WaterFire at volunteer@waterfire.org to learn more.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: WaterFire Providence volunteers ignite braziers, tends to fire on boat