system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How do sailboats work when the wind is blowing in the opposite direction of travel?
gpt
You zigzag, called "tacking". Depending on the type of boat and sails you might well be able to sail around 45° into the wind because the aerodynamics of the sail create lift rather than just being blown along like a piece of debris. So you sail at that angle for a while then turn 90° so you are sailing 45° into the wind on the other side, and so on.