Carl,
Very gentlemanly of you to not mention what decade it was that we are were competing against each other in Division 10.

I think that "hourglass" course you are talking about was one of the courses that was considered for some of the Olympic classes several years back. One of the pluses was that spectator boats would be able to assemble close in the "waist" of the hourglass on each side.

That course was not accepted. I guess there was a perception that it would be too dangerous, with so many boats coming together in the middle like that. But, on the other hand, it certainly would have been more exciting from a spectator standpoint.