First Impression: Glory

Date toured: November 2007

At just 36 feet long, Glory is the smallest sailing yacht available for charter in the Virgin Islands Charter League. She was built in 1979 and has been owned since 1986 by Capt. David Kummerle, a self-described “do-it-all crew of one.” Most of his charter clients either want to bareboat with some help, or learn to sail themselves—and some have returned for repeat charters eight, nine and 10 times.
      “Many of my repeat clients are people who need help with their own boats,” he explains. “Some people fly me to their boats as a consultant. Fifty to 70 percent of my business is repeat clients.”
     Glory is more of a teaching boat than a cruising boat, with a no-frills small interior that is clean, but that shows its age. Kummerle lives aboard, and there is the natural amount of personal items and self-rigged equipment you might expect to see in any living space that’s just 36 feet long and constantly afloat. You won’t find plush sofas, DVD players, and other such amenities onboard this charter sailboat. “The show is out here,” Kummerle says with a welcoming smile, sitting at the helm in the cockpit.
     He knows the local waters well, having lived in St. Croix for 42 years and run the Annapolis Sailing School there for three years after moving from his original home of Mount Vernon, New York. He has been offering charters onboard Glory for the past 17 years, taking one to three guests at a time around the islands. He says he does 18 to 22 weeks of charter a year, taking mid-July through mid-October off to rest and perform maintenance.
     “Out of 450 charters I’ve done, last year I had the fifth person I wouldn’t have back,” he says. “It’s about one in 100. Most everybody is just great.”
     Glory is part of the Flagship fleet. Contact any reputable charter broker to learn more.—Kim Kavin