I think approximate linear distance is closer to a practical measurement than crinkly measurements. Consider a semi-circular bay. You may have more access (wate

I think approximate linear distance is closer to a practical measurement than crinkly measurements. Consider a semi-circular bay. You may have more access (water/land interface) points, but all the pipes have to go out "far enough" to the same ocean. I suppose a really large bay might not have this problem, but then it looks much less crinkly, and more linear, than a small bay.