The origin of the name "Courtgain" comes from "small wages" and it refers to the picturesque sailors' district, crossed by two little parallel streets: the Rue des Moulins and the Rue des Pilotes which ends near the sailors' wayside cross and oratory with wonderful views. The closely terraced houses date from the late 18th and early 19th century. They are built with bricks, some parts in cob, with a black base, the rest painted in bright colours, according to the age-old tradition of the fishermen who manned the shrimp boats known as "sauterelliers". The district, decked with lovely flowers, stages the Fête de la Mer every summer.
