Wind too strong in battle

[mee]

In battle whenever I face 90°(directly into the wind) my ship stops, then starts going backward. I can't turn I can only stop or go in reverse. How do I avoid/fix this problem?

[Rychu Karas]

manual sailing. search in google or youtube for it. there are a lot of examples how to make perfect turn.

[Archer11]

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/16192-manual-sails-tutorial-explained-using-learning-tool-of-the-era-of-the-age-of-sail/

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15998-stuck-in-irons-dont-worry/

[Arvenski]

You gotta learn how to use manual sails and tack (turn through a headwind). Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it.  

[Mighty_Alex]

And in some situations you need your ship to move astern, so it's not necessarily a bad thing.)