The spi downhaul/retrival line is passed through a plastic loop which is attached to a thin line to the bottom two spi patches (in my case, others may differ slightly) The end of the downhaul is tied off directly to the top spi patch. The idea is that when you douse the spi the top, middle and bottom spi patches don't all meet at the snuffer mouth at the same time which can be difficult to pull through the mouth. Therefore, the thin cord between the patches and downhaul helps spread the patches apart making it easier for the spi to go through the snuffer mouth. You might be able to make this out in the attached photo.