Tintamarre Island, St. Martin, F.W.I.

The coastline of this 80 acre island is the most abundant in fish in the surrounding area, and you can also find there many masonry stones. Often known locally as "Flat Island", it had appr. 150 inhabitants at one time. Remy de Haenen, who brought the aviation to ST. BARTH in 1945, decided to establish his base on Tintamarre. In 1946 he founded the "Compagnie Aerienne Antillaise". An agreement was reached to rent the island from L.C. Fleming, there being no airports on French St Martin, St Barths or Guadaloupe at that time. Tintamarre offered space for a 500 meter dirt runway, alongside a protected lagoon suitable for flying boats. The last traces of the airstrip were erased by the 1956 and 1960 hurricanes.