[sinanju]

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

[1rudeboy]

A lot of oil passes through the Straits on tankers heading west. An accident would shut it down and the consequences would be enormous. The Turks are anal about it, but deservedly so.

I just don't see how you can let some nerds simply row on through . . . the Bosporus is less than a half mile wide in places.