Mike Birch

Mike Birch (1 November 1931 – 26 October 2022) was a Canadian navigator.^[1]

Mike Birch
Birch in the cockpit of the Olympus Photo
Born	(1931-11-01)1 November 1931 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Died	26 October 2022(2022-10-26) (aged 90) Brech, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Navigator

Biography

Birch began sailing later in his life, but gained notoriety in the 1976 OSTAR where he came in second on a 30' trimaran "The Third Turtle" beating the 236' "CLUB MEDITERRANEE". He continued his surprising success as a solo sailor in the inaugural Route du Rhum in 1978. His sailboat, the Olympus Photo, a 12-meter trimaran, caught up with the larger Kriter V [fr] of Michel Malinovsky [fr] late in the race.^[2]

Birch's victory at the Route du Rhum would begin the reign of the multihull, particularly following the death of Alain Colas. Birch continued a long career racing offshore,^[3] completing his final race at the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2007, where he finished in 16th place.^[4]

Birch died in Brech, France on 26 October 2022, at the age of 90.^[5]