Birch was born in
Vancouver,
British Columbia. He 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 '''' of late in the race. Birch's victory at the Route du Rhum would begin the reign of the
multihull, particularly following the death of
Alain Colas. He continued a long career racing offshore, completing his final race at the
Transat Jacques Vabre in 2007, where he finished in 16th place. Birch died in
Brech on 26 October 2022, at the age of 90. ==References==