Or that sound travels across water? I assume it’s because usually there are blockages, tree/buildings horizontally, while in high-rises and boats there are nothing blocking sounds
Edit. The myth here is that sound travels across water and upwards more than any other direction. Apologies if it was not worded well
I remember learning about the still water phenomenon in a 1980s edition of The Guiness Book of World Records.
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/farthest-distance-travelled-by-a-human-voice#:~:text=There is a recorded case,across still water at night