I don't race but I like the excitement of speed and flying a hull. I don't worry about slight differences in the ability to point up. I was told a long time ago that if you are pointing up, the line you will take when you tack is approximately a line from the mast through the shroud, that is if you sighted from the mast through the shroud that would be your course on the next tack. It seems to be accurate enough for me. I believe pointing up is also affected by the apparent wind, the resultant wind vector created by the actual wind and the boat speed and direction. As boat speed increases, the apparent wind vector moves towards the bow. Simple vector summation. Weather helm (or lee helm) is the turning moment caused by a force couple of center of effort and center of resistance. Several factors can move the location of those forces and affect weather helm. If it is excessive, rudder rake or mast rake will change it. I want some weather helm since a boat with lee helm is a dangerous boat. If you find a mast rake position that you are happy with and you don't race, leave it there and don't worry about fine tuning for speed.

Howard