It doesn’t matter how much you read and who you talk to, your first multi-day (and night) passage at sea will be nothing like what you imagine. And your first experience of a gale at sea will be ten times as intense as you think it will be.
I’m not saying this to put you off, far from it, being at sea is one of the most wonderful and fulfilling experiences there is—although it’s not for everyone—but there is no way to prepare yourself and your boat for offshore voyaging if you have never done it.