The other tip when navigating things like rivers or final parking maneuvers is that if the wind is blowing directly against the direction you want to move, retract the sail fully so there is just the 1 up arrow above the wheel which puts you in rowing mode, which will be many factors faster than trying to "sail" directly into the wind.

Tacking courses to zig zag against the wind necessary in Valheim as it is in real life sailing. It's considerably more forgiving in Valheim so don't complain. :) You just need to angle so the wind direction is outside of the 20 degree "dead zone" in the indicator. Then cut back the other direction. Keep an eye on the wind direction as it does change frequently and can often mean you can shorten the tack to save some time.