Welcome to the forums. Stick around and keep posting and you'll learn a lot as I have.
One of the best learning tools here is to critique others photos. You don't have to be and expert. Goodness knows, I'm not.

Dave is right about the first one. There is just too much going on and competing with each other for attention.
My eye does not travel naturally from one point to another but jerks from place to place.

The second is better because it is simpler and you have your subject lower in the frame but it still leads the eye to the spill way and island.
The other boat/barge is somewhat of a distraction.