yes, it makes no sense to go 1700 miles with an outboard engine. The trip would take more than 40 hours non stop. Anyone who has ever ridden in a boat like that knows it is bone jarring compared to a car. It is a terrible vehicle in the event of a storm and round trip would be 80+hours. No, what is far more likely is they are racing out to sea to meet a boat or submarine that didn't want to dock, offload and then return. The boat can travel 45 mph so in a single hour you can get out into international waters, unload and then race back.