[paulk]

Good rigging tape is rubberized. You stretch it when you wrap your fitting, and then it melds itself into a more or less solid mass that will likely need a knife to cut open when you want to pull the rig at the end of the season. Maybe the "rescue tape" is similar to this. Tape not only keeps cotter pins & rings in place, and keeps sails from getting snagged, but can also help to cut down on chafe: spreader tips, for example.