Funny you should use that analogy. I am literally sitting here watching a coat of perfection dry. You're right, it's not very exciting.
Some sailing has spectator (or at least viewer) appeal, some doesn't. If there was a catamaran channel that showed nothing but Extreme 40s, Tornadoes, AC45(s), etc, I'd probably never leave the house. Well, not in winter.

AC34 will raise awareness, but I don't think the uninitiated will come away with the knowledge that they could do something very similar but on a smaller scale, without a lot of effort.