Skipper Corner: Meet Sarah "Say" Craig - Sailors for the Sea

Skipper Corner: Meet Sarah “Say” Craig

 October 6, 2025  | By: Emily Conklin

We are honored to announce the most recent addition to our Skipper volunteer program, Sarah “Say” Craig. Based in Marina del Ray, CA and Eugene, OR, Say is a competitive outrigger canoe racer and a passionate environmentalist. She paddles long distances to bring awareness to the trash crisis and is founder of Trash Tramp, a company whose sole purpose is to help paddlers and other humans lighten their footprint on this planet through sports, media, and other connections. Read on to learn more! 

How did you get started in boating and racing?

I grew up paddling anything that floated: an old dock, dad’s windsurf board as a stand up with a kayak paddle, my brother’s river kayak and other recovered canoes from the lake. When on camping trips or exploring new lakes I would swim to the other side even when I was too young to be off on my own. I always had a thing about crossing to the other side. Whether it was a lake, or a river or a fear of death… I always needed to know what’s on the other side. 

It wasn’t until I moved (back) to Cali as an adult that I started Outrigger Canoeing. I had been living in California almost a decade and at 30 I found something I wish I had known about my whole life. But I’m so grateful it found me at all.  Now at 43, I am working my way around the Channel Islands on the California Coast. I have paddled most of the Puget Sound in Washington and have a dream to cover many more lakes, rivers and to make it to a few more islands. All of my paddling is fueled by a desire to be closer to nature and to help protect it.  

Are there any eco-friendly practices you follow while on the water, competing or traveling to events?

I try to be a zero-waste traveler and racer. At events for the Southern California Outrigger Racing Association, Puakea Designs and other camps and clinics, I have boiled it down to three main pillars for simplicity.

  1. Bring Your Own
  2. Pack out what you pack in
  3. Spread the word

These pillars emphasize avoiding single use items and ensuring nothing is left behind, but maybe most importantly, education for all participants. Share what you are doing with others! We try to communicate with all players and participants through clinics or tutorials at a time when everyone is involved, as well as marketing in the form of social media posts using #NoWasteJustRace to help spread the word.

Find more strategies like Say’s through our Clean Regattas program!

If you could tell people one thing about the importance of keeping our oceans clean, what would it be?

Our trash crisis is a symptom of a bigger health crisis.  We need to take better care of ourselves – and therefore the planet.   We need to take better care of each other – and therefore the planet. I need to take better care of myself – and therefore the planet.   

If you’re interested in becoming a Sailors for the Sea Skipper, learn more here.