Sunset sail from Carnon — how it went

How the trip came about

A week before departure, on 24 June, the announcement landed in the chat: “we have a unique chance to meet the sunset under sail”. It invited people to a three-hour sea trip on Thursday 2 July, leaving Carnon at 6 pm. The announcement was upfront about what the evening held: sailing along the coast, sunset over the sea, “a cosy atmosphere and good company”, and the chance to cook and share dinner right there on board.

The terms were just as plain: €35 per person — a whip-round for the boat hire, not a ticket for a commercial excursion. Places were limited (a sailing yacht means a small group, not a tour boat), so sign-up went through DMs to the organiser, and the dinner menu was settled separately with the people who had booked. In the end twelve people put to sea.

The logistics that actually mattered

Carnon — part of the commune of Mauguio-Carnon — is the closest stretch of sea to Montpellier. That is exactly why this format works on a Thursday: it is an ordinary weeknight out, not a weekend expedition. Departure was set for 6 pm so that the sunset would be met already under sail.

For the trip the group found a skipper with a sailing yacht and booked him for three hours — everything else they organised themselves. Everyone brought something for the shared table, and someone brought a guitar. That is why €35 turned out to be essentially the whole budget for the evening: the food was potluck, exactly as at the big barbecue in Saint-Just or the lakeside picnic after the hike to Château de Montferrand — only with a deck instead of a grill.

How it went

At 6:53 pm a video from the boat arrived in the chat with a short “We’ve set off :))”. A live broadcast ran for the rest of the evening: at 8:20 pm a photo captioned “This is the view from the mast ,))”, at 8:42 pm “We’re still out at sea :)))”, and clips of the sunset and the deck kept coming until 10:23 pm.

The three advertised hours turned into roughly five: the skipper and his brother kept the group out considerably longer than agreed. First came the sails, the wind and the sunset, then the stars and the lights of the big beach as seen from the water. The table was groaning with everything people had brought, and they sang to the guitar — Russian songs mixed in with French ones.

Those left ashore reacted live in the chat: “Amazing! The water looks beautiful! Fair winds 👋 (if you’re not back already) 🙂”, “So it’s not just beautiful out there, it’s fun too 🤗 What a soft sunset…”, “How wonderful! So pretty!” For the organiser it was one of the warmest evenings of the whole summer.

What happened next

Before the boat was even back ashore, the organiser was already inviting the rest of the chat along: “come with us next time,)” — and got an immediate “I’d love to!”. The following day, 3 July, the sequel was announced: for early August, morning fishing trips with breakfast on deck, plus evening and daytime sails. “After the fishing you can swim in the open sea :) while the catch is cooking,” the organiser added.

That evening turned out to be the first of a whole series of sea trips. The second came on 8 August: a big catamaran this time, sailing from Le Grau-du-Roi for a full day with swimming and lunch on board — because the first trip was enjoyed so much that everyone wanted to repeat it on a larger scale.

If you want to come out to sea with us

The format is repeatable and predictable: a small group, a whip-round for the boat, food brought along, and a skipper in charge of the sailing. Places are few by definition, so it comes down to how fast you sign up — the announcement appears in the community chat roughly a week before departure, and the seat itself is booked by DM to the organiser. No sailing experience is needed: that evening most people simply sat on deck, ate, sang and watched the sun go down into the sea.