Well, I have talked to Rick (a rare occasion ), and he has revived my memory, since I haven't crewed with him for at least 13 years. I am half wrong. He says he has continued to prefer the circular cable trapeze rings to this day. Even after one broke on him, he continued to use them but replaced them every two years or when they got too deformed (bent out of shape), whichever comes first.

I make a mistake of turning my body a little bit the wrong way, and the trapeze ring slips off my hook and, "BOIING," it flies back and hits my skipper in the face. Not good for crew-skipper relationships.