Composition -- The "Z"

Determining how the eye enters the painting is an important decision.  Avoiding a straight line becomes necessary to avoid monotony.  Case in point: Put your finger over the float in the foreground.  At that point, you have a straight line of boats leading to the left hand side of the paper.

Likewise, cover up the boat on the right hand side of the page, and the straight line becomes even more problematic.  

With those two elements, the eye follows a path of a reverse Z   Float to largest boat, larger boat to the two other boats in the foreground.  The smallest boats, emphasized by the shoreline, swing your eye back to the right.

                                      -- - - - - - 
                                        -
                                            -
                                                -
                                         O.....

The zig-zag becomes even more apparent when you look at the ripples in the foreground water.  By limiting the darker tones to the right side of the bottom of the page, it leads your eye to the buoy.

And, yes, I really do think and plan for these compositional elements!