It's a carbon fork right? You won't be able to use a front rack if it is. Irregardless, you probably don't need one if you're only going on weekend trips. I never do, though since I own a touring bike (a "tank," at 25 pounds with full steel frame and deore rear hub derailler
) I have that option.
Sounds like the Nova would be a great fit. Did you ever try the Jake the Snake? If so, what turned you off? I was looking at the Jake a while back as an all-rounder sort of bike and didn't really like the feel of it, though I've never been able to quantify why. Anyways, the triple on the Nova is probabky good for your purposes using it as a light tourer.