Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Daniel Bergin "would teach others how to live to the fullest."


Daniel Bergin, 1960-2007: He had a passion for adventure
By BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTER

When he was not flying jets for Delta Air Lines, climbing mountains or skiing the slopes, outdoor enthusiast Daniel Bergin could often be found sailing on Puget Sound.

The 6-foot Navy veteran also could have kept his stellar skills and passion for adventure to himself. Instead, he shared both with others.

Family and friends on Friday mourned the 46-year- old's drowning death, a day after Seattle police reported that he was kite boarding on Lake Washington during high winds and was found in the water.

His girlfriend, Seattle resident Maureen Farley, said she kissed him goodbye before he went to the lake. The two looked up at the gusting wind.

"I said, 'Have a great day, and I'll see you for dinner,' " the 37-year-old Farley recalled, adding that he had the most "beautiful blue eyes."

Known as "Captain Dan," Bergin excelled at reaching goals only few could imagine. He climbed Mount Rainier five times, sailed internationally and made 300 landings on aircraft carriers as a Navy pilot.

He also went around the world with the Navy and taught sailing at the Shilshole Bay Marina. "He was big-hearted. He wanted to share his dream and bring others into experiencing something," Farley said.

"He would teach others how to live to the fullest."

A resident of Park City, Utah, Bergin was temporarily living in Seattle as part of an around-the-world sailing trip. This year, he had sailed his boat, a 53-foot ketch named PAPA II, from Venezuela to Seattle.

He named the boat after his father, a former Navy officer who taught him to sail, and was preparing to continue the trip next year. He wanted to visit places such as Mexico and the Galapagos Islands.

Greg Norwine, chief executive of Windworks Sailing Center in Seattle, became friends with Bergin in 2001 and hired him to teach adult students.

"He is probably one of the most enthusiastic sailors that I've known in a long time," Norwine said.

"He pursued his dream by putting his career (as a commercial jet pilot) on hold and sailing around the world."

Bergin was born Nov. 18, 1960, in Rochester, N.Y. His love for the water started when he was a boy, and he enjoyed sailing on lakes in Upstate New York.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982, he moved to the Northwest and was stationed on Whidbey Island as an EA-6B pilot. There, he loved dining on clams and crabs.

For a time, he lived in Maple Valley and taught skiing at Crystal Mountain. Later, he moved to Utah.

His humor is apparent on his personal Web site. On his sailing trips, he often took relatives, friends and clients. On a photo near his French-made boat he wrote: "Just bring your toothbrush and a smile!!!"

And Farley recalled one saying on his site that she will remember forever: "I will guide you safely to have the best experience of your life."

Bergin is also survived by his mother, Virginia MacKenzie, of South Carolina, brothers Mike Bergin of Georgia and Tim Bergin of Florida, and sister Patty Bedard of New York.

P-I reporter Brad Wong can be reached at 206-448-8137 or bradwong@seattlepi.com.