Today was "splash day" as Tides Inn went back into the water after our 30 days of regular maintenance. Except for the boot stripe paint, the hull was in good condition and only needed a light sanding and repainting.
We raised the water line nearly 2 inches because the new, heavier batteries had caused a slight heel to port and we were getting barnacles growing on the boot stripe on that side. We now have 2 inches of bottom paint showing, but that is with the water tank empty (1000lbs of water when loaded) and minimal stores of food onboard. We will be fully loaded when heading for the Bahamas this winter.
There was no wind for our trip back to Dare Marina, but we were joined by a group of 10-12 dolphins in the York River. We always consider dolphin visits as good luck since they never show up when its bad weather.
