If you happen to find yourself on the tropical paradise of St. Martin and if your feet happen to be in the soft sand of Orient Beach a sight you may have the privilege of seeing the beautiful sight of the Tiko Tiko. A gorgeous 48 foot catamaran that is often anchored in the idyllic confines of Orient Bay. We knew that a voyage on that fine lady was a must. A range of day trips were offered including a circumnavigation of St. Martin and an excursion to St. Barts and the trip we chose, Tiko Tiko day cruise to Tintamarre Island. The one thing that all the cruises offered on the Tikio Tiko have in common is they are all clothing optional. We boarded the Tiko Tiko bright and early and became acquainted with our captain, Captain Phillip. A friendly and attentive host Captain Phillip gave us a brief review of all the important things we needed to know. Tops of our need to know list was the location of our treasure chest a large white cooler filled with gallons of premixed tropical libations.

The best first mate ever, Charlotte

One of our favorites on the Tiko Tiko was our able first mate Charlotte. Charlotte, almost 13 “in 6 months” was as cute as a button and twice as helpful. Her very limited English was adorable, whether she was bringing you a fresh drink or taking your lunch order she brightened the day.

 Tintamarre Island

After a beautiful sail from Orient Bay, we arrived at Tintamarre. A small an uninhabited island off the eastern coast of St. Martin, Tintamarre has wide range of beauty. From a fair amount of foliage to craggy rock formations and orange sand beaches. One of the things we wanted to try on Tintamarre was their natural mud baths. When we found them what we discovered was a sad little patch of mud and an official looking sign that warned of the presence of some pretty nasty sounding pathogens.

Needless to say we took a pass on the mud bath. Our good captain brought the treasure chest of libations ashore and all was good. We spent a good deal of time snorkeling right off the beach and it was fantastic. The underwater rock formations were amazing and and the aquatic life was some of the best we saw in St. Martin. All in all our day cruise on the Tiko Tiko was a highlight of an already perfect vacation.