Have you ever heard of Tintamarre Island just off St Martin? It’s deserted! How often do you spend time on a tropical deserted island? Do you know what it’s like? One of the major benefits of being a cruiser is being able to hang out in places that ‘normal’ people never see.
We spent time with two other family cruiser boats anchored off of Tintamarre Island. The island, located next to St Martin in the Caribbean, is deserted but was once inhabited. Watch the video to get a glimpse of this must-see island.
Life On A Deserted Island Video
More About The Deserted Island of Tintamarre Island
During the video, I mentioned that the Germans during WWII might have been on the island. I found this on a St Martin website:
There are many rumours about U boat activity around Tintamarre during World War 11. It’s a possibility submariners may have enjoyed “R&R” on the is land while their boats were refuelled. French St.Martin was like other French islands in the area, under the control of the Vichy French. The shallow waters around Tintamarre may have allowed the subs to sit on the bottom and “snorkel” while their diesel engines recharged their batteries. However as the war progressed attacking the more strategic Allied trade with the refineries on Curacao and Aruba, the invention of sonar and over-stretched Nazi logistics would have limited operations in this area.
Click here to visit the website where I found this and read more about Tintamarre.
My Take On Tintamarre
The beach glistens with pinkish-white sand. The side cliffs are a terra-cotta brown and the backdrop between consists of mangroves, palm trees, and green shrubs. The gradients of blue of both the sky and sea expand out to what seems like infinity and when the sun is about to say goodnight the setting gains a golden hue that makes you fall deeply in love with natural beauty.
If your mouth isn’t smiling your eyes certainly are.
The constant breeze along the shore brings a smell of sea air mixed with floral hints coming from the land behind. And is that a smell of last nights bonfire hanging around only to whet our appetite for what’s to come later in the day?
Tintamarre island is a small slice of heaven and only a short sail away from the popular cruisers island of St Martin. After a quick stop in Marigot Bay to easily obtain Brie Cheese, Pate, Baguettes & Orangina you can head to the deserted island to enjoy hours of walks, swimming in pristinely clear water and spectacular sunsets.
A visit to Tintamarre is a must-do!
And so is a visit to any deserted island. Add Tinatmarre to your bucket list. Here are some photos I took over the weekend.
Any Comments or Questions?
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Ready To Get Out Cruising?
If you’re interested in getting more information about how to choose the right sailboat to go visit all the deserted islands out there, check out our Sailboat Buying Guide.
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If you’d like an overview of all the places we’ve visited in the Caribbean please read our destination overview: Caribbean