Here are the specs on the Puffer sailboat:
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=4975
For starters that looks like quite a fun boat to sail. It should be able to get up on plane and scoot across the water.
It should also be fairly easy to tip over and the coastal waters of Maine are cold even in August. You will want to have appropriate warm clothing, perhaps even a wet suit when sailing. Add in life jackets and you should be set.
My other observation is that the Puffer is a dagger board boat which means that the center board will not swing back if struck by something underneath. The coast of Maine is also notoriously rocky so there is a good chance the dagger board will make contact with rocks. Too much stress on the dagger board could break it and even damage the slot in the hull so raise the dagger board in shallow waters where it is rocky.
Most of all welcome to SBO and have fun up down east.