a hot blue spark isnt very visible in (direct) sunlight. but you can usually make it out... its just a lot easier to see in lower ambient light. you can usually hear it though, if its not too noisy around you.
but feeling it has nothing to do with if the spark is actually happening between the electrodes on the plug if the carbon is shorting them out.
but if you can really feel a good jolt, you do know that the ignition system is capable of producing a good spark.