On June 24-25 2017, I participated in the ARRL/RAC FIeld Day as a 1C (QRP/portable/afloat) station operating from the deck of “Sassy Gaffer”, a ComPac SunCat 17, sailboat anchored inside the little cove at Pinhey Point, in the Ottawa River (https://thewakesileave.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/va3pcj-field-day-1c-one-qrp-afloat-from-the-ottawa-river/). This eventually led to the following article in the RAC TCA Magazine: “Portable Afloat: Bringing Together Amateur Radio and Small-Boat Inland-Water Sailing” (The Canadian Amateur (TCA Magazine): Vol.45, Num.5, pp.48-50, September-October, 2017).

Encouraged by Bob VA3QV — with whom, way before POTA existed, we had shared many “HF from the Park” QRP/P activations — I started to “hunt” for POTA activations. I soon realized that one of my preferred spots along the Ottawa River, at Pinhey Point Historic Site, was not registered in the POTA.app. Hence, I decided to contact the Country Administrator (Mapping) for Canada, Pierre Jolin VE2GT, who after reviewing the information provided, assigned to it the POTA identifier “VE-5644” (https://pota.app/#/park/VE-5644). Pierre also directed me to send the ADIF logs of any previous activations to the attention of the POTA Regional Coordinator for Area 3.

I submitted the full log of my participation as a 1C station in Field Day 2017, and a few days later I received a message from Matt Brown K2EAG, POTA Regional Coordinator (K3), indicating that the contacts had been uploaded and that they would be reflected on the POTA site, where I was credited for two valid activations (of ten or more QSOs): one with 23 QSOs on June 24 and another with 27 QSOs on June 25.

Depending on the weather and Sassy’s skipper’s health, I hope to return this year to POTA VE-5644 for other QRP/Portable/Afloat activations, and likely also as a 1C station in FIeld Day 2022.

73 de Jose VA3PCJ/VE3DTI.