More boats - not sure they are for me!

I tried another sketch - the boats themselves were not bad, but then I tried to draw a hint of the harbour, and I ruined it all. Wrong size, no other boats, it all looks wrong.

I'm not one to let failure get in the way. So I decided to try another view. My first layer was a bit higgledy-piggledy and dull.

The second layer got a nice sky at least, and better shadows.

Here is where I am with it. I've added seagulls, sharpened the edges on the building, darkened the harbour wall, got rid of the chimneys and lightened the sea and horizon. Not quite there yet. I need to lower the horizon so it doesn't hit the corner of the roof of the building, and I need to figure out a good colour mix for the sea in Ireland on a sunny day. It's got hints of the Caribbean, but not quite so bright. I might try PG50 + a dash of Pyrrole Red - that might do the job. Plus it's two colours I've used in the painting already so it might harmonise things. My seagulls look a big sinister, all in a very dark colour. But overall I'm happy enough with how they turned out (from photo anyway!) It'll be a little while before I get a chance to finish this! I don't think it will be a framer, but failures are good for experimenting, as I've got nothing to lose.

Working from lots of photos I took when I was last there, I'm also trying to work out how to draw boats better. I found from my previous attempt that my boats sit up in the water. Because my mind thinks that boats are longer than they are wide, and I draw them too long. Which from where I was standing is completely wrong. And makes them look nearly vertical!

(PS: you'll also see here the colour mix I used for my Roses painting.)

A lot to think about. Maybe if I can just draw them a good bit shorter than I think they are, that would be a good start. I did these drawings from an upside down photo, and then compared the measurements. The second attempt was an improvement, but still too long!!
I really need to figure out boats and bicycles, and seagulls. Bicycles and seagulls will be for another day, though.