After supporting chef Helgi Olafson in his 304-mile run in April 2025, former chief officer Charl Minnaar has gotten more into endurance running and fundraising initiatives. Through his 50 Miles for Infinite Smiles campaign, he will run a 50-mile ultramarathon on April 18, hoping to raise $5,000 for Home Ghana to allocate for long-term education sponsorships at Nii Kwatei Academy.
“There's just something that speaks to people more by attaching an attainable goal to a good cause vs just asking for donations,” Minnaar says. “The campaign does just that because people can donate $1 per mile I run as a standard donation, which is a very realistic request.”
He discovered Home Ghana when he saw the Relief Crew Foundation — a non-profit founded by yacht crew dedicated to pairing crew with vetted volunteer opportunities — went to help build the junior high school. The project began in October 2025 when Relief Crew volunteers helped demolish the original school building and lay down concrete and brick. Phase 2 includes continued construction work and designing classrooms with painting and furniture building.
Each sponsored child receives guaranteed funding for the entirety of junior high school. About $1,160 covers daily food, school exams, uniforms, books and learning materials, plus a buffer for inflation and running costs, for one child for three years.
“I reached out and found out that the board of [Home Ghana] are a bunch of yachties that go there in their free time to volunteer and help this village, which is an incredibly selfless act and I admire it immensely,” he says. “I figured I can use my reach and community to help spread the good word,” he says.
To help crew understand personal finance, Minnaar created The Yachting Investor, breaking down financial topics into actionable advice with a range of resources, including a course on financial freedom. He has also committed to donating 20 percent of The Yachting Investor’s course revenue to the foundation.
“It's important to do good yachties. All of us live in a very material and shallow world and industry, there are people out there that need help and it should be our duty to help them,” he says. “Do hard things, do your best and always open your heart to others.”
To support Minnaar in his run, donate here.