Congratulations, great choice!
I have done plenty of miles racing and delivering one in the 80's-90's and they are the type of boat that will get you home.
You will probably never sail your boat as hard as this one was sailed, but a couple of things to check:
Steering turning block mounts on the hull, before they return to the quadrant.
Make sure your anchor locker lid is really secured, in a heavy seaway, the wiring to the nav lights run through the locker, under the deck on the port side (from memory), they go through an approx 5mm hole in the bulkhead at the rear of the locker, make sure the hole is filled with silastic or sika or your favourite sealant, you would not believe how much water can come thru that hole, punching to windward in 25-30kts.
Another great lesson, if the f'wdhand is going to make grilled cheese sandwiches, make sure the plastic wrapping is taken off the cheese slice first....
Enjoy the boat, what type of finish is on the hull that doesn't need renewing??
Pic credit: Richard Bennett.