Alan
My dad did his National Service in the RN and went no further but spent the rest of his life married to the Sea Cadet Corps (as well as my mother!) My sister did ten years or more in the Sea Cadets ending up as Lt Commander of the Wigan unit (T.S. Sceptre which is affiliated to HMS Sceptre - a Hunter-Killer nuclear powered submarine) taking over where my dad left off although he's still involved at a higher level. My mother, in an effort to see her husband occasionally, joined the Unit as an admin officer. I never had leanings towards life at sea although I did spend a week on T.S. Royalist which is a square rigged sailing ship (brig) owned by the SCC and used as a training ship. I went on board as a civilian instructor and had all the 12-14 year old lads singing shanties all week. They made the rude bits up themselves! They say you taste every meal twice on board ship - it's quite true.
Cheers
Mark