Leveling...

[Heroique]

My sneaky suspicion – your second attempt was successful not because you leveled your tripod, but because you applied a specific camera movement that wasn’t applied the first time (probably a small one). With ocean tides rising higher & rushing you, it might be easier to overlook such things.

[dperez]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Your views sums-up what I always thought and previously experienced. But yesterday things didn't work as usual. I checked everything - that the back was upright and locked-down, the bubbles were exactly centered... Maybe I had a floater that remained fixed in placed until I leveled the tripod or maybe because yesterday was Friday the Thirteenth...but only when I leveled the tripod according to the bubble level on its base and the the camera which was mounted on an Arca Swiss ball head with the twin bubbles on the rear standard did focusing quickly follow.

Strange, but that's how it went yesterday.

Thomas

This may not apply to you, but just in case; make sure your loupe is focused correctly and has not moved on you. I've had this happen a couple of times where I couldn't seem to get the focus right, only to find out that my loupe's diopter adjustment moved on me (which is very easily done with the Rodenstock loupes).