How many pictures did you take of the scene? How many do you expect to keep? I typically take at least two and often more shots of a particular subject. Some will be very similar but allowing for those tiny details that can make or break a shot (for example someone walking into shot and spoiling the sense of isolation, how the wind stirs the sails, etc) and some will experiment with different approaches (eg. thinking about the background as much as the subject, considering different angles, etc).
That often gets whittled down to one shot I keep and even that might call out for some post processing before I am content to keep it (I was blogging about this
topic this morning).
I wonder if you are taking enough pictures to increase your odds of getting one that you are happy with?
Wulf