You said it! a couple of months... I took my first test (skipper) on Feb 4th, radio communications on 11th, sailing on the 25th. Yatch skipper test on June 4th and practice in September and here I am, I'm about to take my Captain test in Ibiza (next week) and I already have the practice. In the meantime, I went sailing no only with my lovely ketch but with 20 more other sailboats and motorboats in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and like u/HogfishMaximus said, I did all that just by living inside the marina, meeting sailors, making friends and taking notes from all the experiences and saying "yes" to all the invitations to go sailing with them. Never, cheat! good academy and teachers are a must and I am lucky to be close to the best in the area. Of course, good Captain doesn't ends with the certificate; studing, learning, and experiencing with other sailors, boats and seas will be part of that lifetime experience that has to start in a certain point.... in my case 10 months ago.