No matter the wind (tides & currents do still have some play here) you still have the sea to deal with when it comes to comfort so with all the rest that's just been explained above you could be sailing from the most efficent angle/point but if you're taking a beating from the seas you've got to give a bit & fall off until the seas are forgiving enough, which adds to the complexity, though if the trades have been blowing for any amount of time & you are following them you should have a following sea, meaning that your headed in the same direction as the waves (hopefully a long rolling swell) & wind. Hollywood loves to show this with the red sun setting & shinning through the rigging, it's the perfect picture that's seldom seen at sea.

Barry