Mike Birch

Biography

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

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 of Michel Malinovsky late in the race.

Birch's victory at the Route du Rhum would be his only one on a monohull and begin the reign of the multihull, particularly following the death of Alain Colas. Birch continued a long career racing offshore, completing his final...