Originally posted by Darth Invader:

You got 3 speeds: rudder, medium, and fast. If the wind is blowing in your face, medium and fast won't work, only rudder. You can tell if the wind is blowing in your face by the indicator on the top right of your screen. If the icon is in the greyed out area, it's blowing head on, and you won't move.

You were right lol. I had to wait a looong time before I could make it to the other side lmao