Any sailor can tell you that the wind isn't always going to be in your favor, so I don't have a problem with the way the wind shifts in this game. BUT it absolutely does seem to be programmed specifically oppose you as already mentioned here. Sail off in any direction and soon the wind will be in your face, change directions and very soon it will shift around to oppose you again. The Moder power works great but if you're going very far it won't get you there.

The devs have stated that the main reason you cannot take raw ores and metals through the portals is to encourage you to sail and explore more and then they make doing so a royal pain in the butt. We are Vikings. We are supposed to love to sail to go discover, explore, trade with and/or conquer new lands, but it is just no kind of fun to sail anywhere in this game.