For many, the Balkans route starts in Turkey, where migrants pack into small boats that are often piloted by migrants themselves and abandoned once they reach the nearest Greek island. That journey, because of overcrowding and the inexperience of boat operators, is often the most dangerous part of the journey — a reality underscored this week when a wooden trawler carrying about 90 migrants broke up as it ran aground on the Greek island of Rhodes, killing three on board, including a boy.