Lord Nelson. Release the mainsheet so that the boom can swing when you go to the mast and raise the sail. If the boom is captured or restricted the sail will be hard to raise. If it is free and the boat drifts a little out of “to Wind” the boom will align with the wind and it will seem to the sail that the sail is still into the wind.
On a small boat, as Brian stated, you can change the balance of the boat and it will start to change direction. You can also use this feature to steer the boat back into the wind. If your weight is on port and th eboat is going to port, move around the mast to starboard and keep working the boat will change track again.
I could set the tiller and the sails, then walk to the bow of my 15 footer and where I positioned my weight I could cause the boat to steer a straight course for over a mile. Sure it was not normal, but a fun exercise in boat management by adjusting the center of balance. Usually it was during light winds and helped to pass the time until the breezes returned.