Many of us have had to throw to the safety release at some point, many different scenarios?
When I have do it occasionally over many seasons, it seems the best ones are the ones you can retrieve your bar, get sorted and relaunch quickly.
I have tried both, which are still offered in in 2014. The only time I have relaunched quickly is with the double font line system (safety attached to an extended middle single line before forking into the two front lines)
The safety line attached to a single front line, however far up the line, and with whatever stopper balls, seems to have too many scenarios to tangle, making it potentially dangerous to relaunch, with only self rescue options to consider.
2014 kites have enough range in the throw distance of the bar, for most conditions. Double or triple this distance should be well enough to depower the kite for safety? 4m single centre line before splitting max?
The only reason for a single front line safety system seems to be to save your kite from damage in sea swell where a wave might hit it, or?.
...better to be able to relaunch it first?
For 100% depower, it's single line flag.
Releasing to double line bridle, that's not actually flagging ...
it's just depowering the kite somewhat.
A depowered, no bar controlled kite simply flies to the water or ground awaiting relaunch, few scenarios for leash release....
Single line flags can sometimes cause bar and line tangles, causing line tightening and sometimes auto relaunch attempts, not 100% depowered then!
Interesting how the brands are slightly different with their systems still....
Single front line flagging presents a smaller area of kite to the wind than a flagged two front line system, so as a safety system its better.
I have had a single front line jam as the line fed into the swivel, on a tiny piece of seaweed which had attached itself to the line. Where it jammed, there was a loop loop connection in the line which normally would just slide through. Algae can be much more grippy on a line than seaweed.
I had a 2007 14m Contra which when flagged out when the wind got too strong, still had a lot of pull on the single front line due to its big leading edge and struts holding a lot of shape instead of the kite flattening out more. I had to pass the line behind my hook to be able to work my way to the kite.
The best of the two front line flagging systems reduce the pull to almost exactly the same as a 5th line, but there are a whole range of two front line systems and they can vary not just by brand, but from kite to kite within a brand as to how much residual pull there is when flagged to the two front lines.
I prefer flagging to two front lines for convenience, and have to accept that there is more chance of having to let the kite go completely, but I think that would be very rare. Some of my bars also have O**** handles on the rear lines and so I managed to keep the kite one time when a pulley broke and I got a wingtip bridle wrap.
There is no such thing as 100% depower unless you release the kite completely.
