But nevertheless they do affect sailing vessel priority.
In case of a vehicle in the desert, you aren't dealing with the dynamic properties of water.
But the point is that a vessel on a narrow channel, especially inland, is also in a similar situation to a vehicle on the road. Except for lines on the ground, all the references are there. So, in that case, is a concept similar to the official definition of a turning vehicle. Would a vessel entering leaving the path of a marked channel be legally the equivalent of a turning vehicle?
I have heard that the rules on a narrow channel are different from open water. For example I did read that precedence first belongs to vessels going against the current, then with the current, then cross river ferries.
Sometimes, I think that marked channels exist even on open water, for example between the edge of a bay and the largest river that flows into it. A vessel following the path of the channel might be considered to be going straight and one entering or leaving to be turning.
The body regulating that bay could decide to make vessels crossing the marked channel keep clear of any vessel following it if all else is equal.