Swimming from Red Sands Forts to the Kent Coast

Whitstable swimmer Dan Brown navigates treacherous currents to become the first person to swim from the Red Sands Forts

The abandoned alien structures of Red Sands Fort haunt the Thames Estuary. Built as part of Britain’s air defences in World War Two, the strange rusting structures have a mystical allure. For local swimmer, beach lifeguard and boat skipper Dan Brown, that allure was to see if he could swim from Red Sands Forts to Tankerton, a beach on the north Kent coast.

He knew the swim would be challenging because of the tide, changing currents and the possibility of jellyfish. Dan took his time to work out a route.

“Understanding the tide pattern was critical to avoid navigation hazards, including a wind farm. I needed to navigate a route between the shallows off the Isle of Sheppey coast and the wind farm. The swim would take approximately 5 hours over an 8-mile swim (7.1 nautical miles) and I wanted to finish on the lifeguarded beach at Tankerton. I am a beach lifeguard there at weekends and most of my training took place from this beach – which at times was very solitary – so this was important for me.

“Given the above, I decided I needed to be ‘thrown overboard’ at the forts three hours before high water. This would give me 2-3 hours of west setting tide to avoid the wind farm. Then I would have slack tide and 1 hour of the tide setting east to enable me to hit my chosen beach. This all went to plan – and my welcome party was on that beach!”

Do the swim yourself

Dan decided to use the swim, which took 5 hours and 6 minutes, to support Aspire, a national charity that provides practical help to people who have been paralysed by spinal cord injury. So far he has raised more than £4,000.

He also hopes the swim will become an annual event for solo or team swimmers – a desire that is backed by Aspire, who have a Red Sands Forts swim planned for 2025.

“We are immensely proud of Dan and his dedication to both swimming and Aspire,” says Paul Parrish, Aspire’s Fundraising and Marketing Director. “I live in Herne Bay and have wanted to organise a swim from the Forts for many years to add to Aspire’s diverse open water swim portfolio. Meeting Dan has made this a reality, thanks to his drive and determination.  We’d also like to thank Jason from Highlife Charters, the skilful boat pilot who guided Dan back to Kent.”

Create your own “first” swim

For anyone planning their own swimming “first”, Dan has the following advice:

“Ensure you train for the longer distance, to discover all the usual problems – saltwater chafe, which swimwear suits you, swim caps, goggles etc. Train up to at least 10km in open sea conditions – not just in the pool or lake. I started my swim in choppy conditions – wind over tide – and you need to be prepared mentally for any variations on the day.

“Secondly, ensure you plan and navigate well based on your estimated swim time. I am already advising someone who wants to be the first lady to swim from these same forts next summer. If the start time is wrong, it could destroy the swim. Good advice is critical and make sure this is communicated to the boat crew.”

Donations to support Dan’s swim and contribute to Aspire’s services can be made through his fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/daniel-brown-1720126058999