It's not exactly the same thing, but it's in a similar vein.
When doing point to point wireless installs (bridging), one must actually add height to each antenna mast to ensure that the signal (and the accompanied Fresnel zones) clear the curvature of the earth (and then one adds height for obstructions like trees, hills, houses, etc).
Why don't we try the ship experiment with wireless bridges? Find two shores more than 10-20 miles apart (yes, they'll reach), hook up the antennas as close to water level as safe, and see if we hit anything.