@hazardwarning On a nice day with a fair wind, it's delightful. It can be fun even in adverse conditions, as long as you're not prone to seasickness. Generally, I'm not, though it can happen to anyone (and has to me at least once).
Although I did the official course, most of what I know that's useful I learned by doing, from a family friend who was ex-Royal Australian Navy. As always, there's a difference between the "book" version and real life.
// @JeremyCherfas