[1rudeboy]

I’m not surprised Turkey would refuse to allow passage. The ship is a hazard to navigation.

[sinanju]

So the boat is just too slow and would hold up traffic too long in that busiest of straits?

[aristotleman]

Oh please.

Have you ever seen what passes for a ship on the Bosporus?!

“Other” politics are at play here.

[sphinx]

I don't know the subtleties of nautical-type language, but the story doesn't say the Turks refused passage. It says they refused to guarantee safe passage. That sounds more like "paddle at your own risk." Am I missing something?

It would seem to me that a toy boat like the Argo could hug the shore and stay out of the shipping lanes. Would the wake of passing ships be a problem? Perhaps insurance carriers objected?