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Mike Birch

Mike Birch
Birch in the cockpit of the Olympus Photo
Born(1931-11-01)1 November 1931
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Died26 October 2022(2022-10-26) (aged 90)
Brech, France
NationalityFrench
OccupationNavigator

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

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]

References

  1. ^ Eliès, Philippe (26 October 2022). "Premier vainqueur de la Route du Rhum, Mike Birch est mort". Le Télégramme (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Route du Rhum : arrivée Birch et Malinovsky". Institut national de l'audiovisuel (in French). 8 December 1978. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  3. ^ Torterat, Chloé (26 October 2022). "Portrait de navigateur - Mike Birch, vainqueur de la 1re édition de la Route du Rhum". Bateaux.com (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Calendrier et résultats Transat Jacques-Vabre 2007, Voile, Monocoques (60 pieds, classe IMOCA) mixte". L'Équipe (in French).
  5. ^ "Mike Birch, premier vainqueur de la Route du Rhum, est mort". L'Équipe (in French). 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.


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