To rfunnell....Believe you're missing the overall theme. The chair is a significant element as it shows he's rowing for a living not for pleasure.
This is where his customers sit. An empty chair means no revenue.
To me his face shows that he is troubled which brings a feeling of sympathy for this man.
Well done!

The chair takes away a little but it also shows that the image was not staged.

Thanks if only the chair wasn't there I thought .

Nice to see some good street (water) photography.