Writing from the Water: A Season of Stillness and Study Aboard Simplicity

My first night settling in, after a day of moving aboard and getting set up for intense focus.

Why would anyone move onto a boat to write a thesis? For me, it felt like the most natural next step.

I’m in the final stretch of my Master’s thesis — Water-Based Somatic Healing for Maternal Mood Disorders: Regulation and Recovery through Immersion and Sailing — and decided to finish it aboard my boat, Simplicity. The project explores how water environments can support emotional regulation and recovery for mothers facing mood-related challenges. Writing about the healing potential of water while living on it seemed like an experiment worth trying.

Life aboard has its charm. My morning coffee comes with gulls for company, and my daily commute is exactly three steps from bunk to desk. The rhythm of the water has a grounding effect that no productivity app can match. It slows everything down, allowing thoughts and ideas to surface at their own pace.

Of course, there’s a more honest explanation. I might simply love being on my boat. The quiet, the movement, the minimalism — it all feels like an antidote to the noise of everyday life. Whether this counts as research immersion or gentle procrastination is still up for debate.

In truth, this time afloat has become a kind of living laboratory. I’m learning how the environment shapes the nervous system, creativity, and focus — lessons that extend far beyond academic theory. Writing about somatic healing feels different when your workspace rocks ever so slightly with each passing wave.

As I complete this final chapter, I’m reminded that healing and learning both require rhythm, rest, and trust in the process. The sea has become a teacher, and Simplicity has lived up to her name.

So if you see someone typing furiously on a laptop in a small marina somewhere in northern Germany, it’s probably just me — writing, reflecting, and trying not to drop my notes overboard.

— Leigh