The routes

2.1 Fixed points#

The swimmer shall perform the crossing on a route whose points cannot be moved or shortened: the starting land, the finishing land, and, between the two, exclusively permanent elements that the path must bypass, such as a point, a headland, an island, or a rock arch.

A path delimited by buoys does not constitute a route, regardless of its length and even when the start and finish are located in different places: a buoy can be moved, an island cannot. The repeatability of the route is the condition for crossings performed in different years to be comparable.

There is no minimum distance requirement.

2.2 Start and finish#

The swimmer shall enter the water from the starting land and exit onto the finishing land in an upright position, out of the water. Where this is not possible or permitted, particularly in the presence of cliffs, the swimmer shall touch a solid and fixed surface with their hand: the rock, a quay, or a wall.

A crossing that ends in the water, even at a short distance from the shore, shall not be recognized.

2.3 Intermediate points#

The swimmer shall bypass each intermediate point of the route by passing on the side opposite to the land, so that the path wraps around the point.

A point toward which the path merely deviates, and from which it is possible to move away before having reached it, is not part of the route, because the path can be shortened.

A rock that is entirely bypassed, remaining between the path and the coast, is a valid intermediate point.

2.4 Mandatory landings#

Where the route provides for mandatory landings, the swimmer shall touch them in the established order, in accordance with the procedures of Art. 2.2, and shall not remain there for more than 10 minutes, supported only by the land. The time spent resting shall be included in the crossing time. Example: on the route from Mortelle to Messina, the swimmer shall touch the Calabrian coast at Cannitello before returning to Sicily.

2.5 Islands and lakes#

The circumnavigation of an island constitutes a route. The perimeter of a lake or a bay does not constitute a route, as the distance from the shore at which it is performed is not determinable and the path is not repeatable.

The circumnavigation of an island shall begin and end on land, in accordance with Art. 2.2: on the island itself or on another land from which the swimmer reaches the island, bypasses it, and returns. Starting and finishing in the water are not permitted, even where access to the island is prohibited or impossible.

Islands located in a lake constitute fixed points: the circumnavigation of an island in a lake, and the route that starts from the shore, bypasses one or more islands, and returns to the shore, are compliant routes.

2.6 Distance#

The official distance of the route is the minimum measurable distance between the lands that define it: between two coasts, the minimum stretch from coast to coast; in the presence of intermediate points or landings, the sum of the stretches; for the circumnavigation of an island, the minimum path in the water that wraps around it.

The distance actually swum does not modify the official distance. The GPS track documents the execution of the crossing but does not determine its distance.

Where an organization ratifies crossings of the stretch, the distance declared by it shall apply.

2.7 Direction#

Routes traveled in the opposite direction are distinct routes, with distinct rankings. The circumnavigation of an island in a clockwise direction and in a counter-clockwise direction are distinct routes.

2.8 Repeated crossings#

A swimmer who travels the same route multiple times consecutively, in a round trip or for a greater number of times, shall touch the land at each end in accordance with the procedures of Art. 2.2 and shall not remain there for more than 10 minutes, supported only by the land. The time spent resting shall be included in the crossing time.