One of the excursions we decided to go on was a catamaran day trip
to Tintamarre Island, just 2 miles off the coast of St. Martin. The day included breakfast, a few hours
snorkeling at Tintamarre, lunch on the catamaran named Celine, snorkeling at Creole
Rock, and ended with a mud bath at Happy Bay, St. Martin. This excursion ended up being one of our favorite days
in St. Martin.
We sailed thru a little rain and gray skies, to end up at the sunlit island. The water of Tintamarre Island was the bluest of blue. We have never seen water so incredible in
real life, only on TV. It was romantic
and unreal. God’s work was ever
present. It would be hard not to feel
bliss here as it was so amazingly beautiful.
When our sailboat docked just off shore, we were given the okay to jump
off the back deck.
Jumping into the clear, blue water from a catamaran was definitely a dream. Once in the water, we got our snorkel gear on and swam about 20 yards to shore. It was great to be in this pool-like water swimming amongst turtles and sea life. It was a very surreal experience!
Just after we got to shore, the crew brought umbrellas and ice chests full of drinks (beer, rum punch, water) to the shore, by dingy, for us to enjoy. Jerry & I ventured off to snorkel. This part of the Caribbean is not known for snorkeling. It was nice to swim out to the reefs and see small schools of fish along the way. However, not too many tropical or pretty colored fish were present. The water was definitely the hi-light! So, we headed back into shore to enjoy some beverage and chatted with others from the boat, as we admired the turquoise water.
Jumping into the clear, blue water from a catamaran was definitely a dream. Once in the water, we got our snorkel gear on and swam about 20 yards to shore. It was great to be in this pool-like water swimming amongst turtles and sea life. It was a very surreal experience!
Just after we got to shore, the crew brought umbrellas and ice chests full of drinks (beer, rum punch, water) to the shore, by dingy, for us to enjoy. Jerry & I ventured off to snorkel. This part of the Caribbean is not known for snorkeling. It was nice to swim out to the reefs and see small schools of fish along the way. However, not too many tropical or pretty colored fish were present. The water was definitely the hi-light! So, we headed back into shore to enjoy some beverage and chatted with others from the boat, as we admired the turquoise water.
Lunch was being prepared on the sailboat as we were
ashore. The crew motioned that lunch was
ready. We jumped in the water and swam
back to the boat. As I approached the
boat, I realized the crew was throwing shrimp peels off the back deck which was
attracting a lot of beautiful fish for us to see. Admiring the fish, I was completely startled
to see a four foot barracuda just to my right, eyeing me as I eyed the other fish…his
future dinner. The teeth of the
barracuda nearly scared me straight out of the water, but I moved very slowly
to the boat ladder, both of us not breaking eye contact. I love the ocean and don’t know many times I
have ever been fearful of it, but this was one. As I got onto the deck, other swimmers
stayed in the water and enjoyed watching the barracuda. I was just fine watching from above!
Lunch on the deck of the catamaran was incredible! The meal was one of the best that I had in St Martin. The view was something out of a travel magazine. Sitting side by side with my husband experiencing this filled me with such gratitude. For lunch, we enjoyed a huge buffet of grilled fish (my favorite), Ribs, Paella with shrimp & squid, green salad, potato salad, pasta salad and bread. Everything was carefully prepared, tasted fresh and was beautifully presented.
After lunch, we sailed to Creole Rock for an hour of snorkeling. It was nice to swim around. Again, there was not much to see here while snorkeling. Some of our fellow boat friends did see some fish off in a different direction. We didn’t see too much sea life, but it was really nice to again dive off the boat into crystal blue water and swim around.
As we sailed back to the marina, the crew served us fresh fruit and a big frozen shot of rum, chocolate and banana, rum- somethin-or-other. It was the perfect way to end the day. We had such a fun time on the Celine. We met some wonderful people, enjoyed great food and saw amazing turquoise water. I can understand why some of our fellow boat friends have traveled to St. Martin over 25 times and have sailed the Celine over 5 times. Life is good when you are in a beautiful place, with good souls, enjoying amazing food, and seeing God’s beauty all around. This trip will forever be a special part of our memories.
Looking at St Martin from Tintamarre |
Docking at Tintamarre |
Happy Bay |
Sailing back to Marigot Habor |
My souvenir was a sun burn, Jerry's was a hangover :) Good times! |
The crew, captain & us aboard the Celine |
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