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Lowest profile PFD

PawsPlus, I like the pocket locations and price of your (maybe) Astral. Most important - what color did you get? Does it match the boat?
 
Well, there wasn't one that matches. Got red, in the hopes that it's an orangey red. :) My Mango MEC one doesn't really match either--but it coordinates. That is probably the best I can hope for.
 
Try this norsaq roll sequence (no pfd, entry on left side, recover on right side):
setup as normal, enter the water, leave the kayak upside down while you simultaneously
-reach towards the bow with your right hand (palm up),
-reach towards the stern with your left hand (palm up),
-lift your head & torso towards the surface (face up, shoulders flat wrt water surface)
When you are in position, sweep the norsaq from bow to stern while you "hipsnap" the kayak.
You should not have to do this quickly, but you want a steady continuous norsaq sweep and a steady continuous leg drive / hipsnap.

The key is to get your torso, head, and hands up close to the surface before the norsaq sweep and before the hipsnap. You might need a spotter standing beside you who will give you feedback.

If you don't have a good climbing angle on the norsaq, practice moving your kayak sideways by sculling the norsaq.

I'll post video sometime next week.

You might want to watch

and pay attention to this still
CheriRoll25.jpg

but your norsaq hand should be closer to the bow.
Having your left hand out like this gives you more lift but you should not need it, especially with a norsaq. So you can start with your left hand like this but eventually it should be closer to the stern.

How to order the DVD "This is the Roll 2"
http://www.cackletv.com/sea-kayaking-dvds/this-is-the-roll-2/
 
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I have both the "This is the Roll" DVDs and watch them often. :) Also Dubside's DVD w/ Maligiaq. I will try that with my arms. It helps me to think of going through the balance brace during the roll.
 
The Astral Ronny arrived and it has less than half the foam in the back as my MEC, so I think it's gonna work! It will clash appallingly with the dry suit, but I can live with that. Trying to decide if I should just sell the MEC vest--it seems absurd to have two. The MEC vest has a pocket for a radio, but generally when I'm using a radio I'm up in your neck if the woods, so I'm renting a boat and using their PFD and my radio holster thingie.
 
Well, maybe where you live. I don't have a loaner boat and no one here has sea kayaks so no one paddles with me except my one friend who has one. So hard to imagine anyone needing a loaner PFD LOL!
 
This is kind of funny. Went out again to practice this week and couldn't QUITE hit the Norsaq roll. Given that it was easy peasy last week, and I was wearing the low profile PFD again, I was mystified. Later on, when we got ready to work on some rescue stuff, I realized that my tow belt was turned around with the bulky rope at the back! I had fastened it around my waist and then gotten distracted and never brought that part around to the front. So the rope bundle was interfering JUST enough with getting on the rear deck to keep me from being able to do it without a little extra scull of the Norsaq. It was a relief, as I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was wrong NOW!
 
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