These were taken on a recent trip to St. Thomas. The sailboats in the second photo are from the St. Thomas International Regatta, I have video but haven't processed it yet.
Your first image can be greatly improved with editing. There is always an under-exposure of the foreground when you meter off of the brighter sky. This high dynamic range can be compensated by software such as the masking tool in Photoshop. Here is an edited version.
By the way, I was born and raised in Chicago, north side- Send High School. 1956.