I have seen no evidence there is tide or currents in the game. On the surface wind seems to influence the boat. This is easily seen in reduced headway in storms. The helmsman/planesman animation is for looks.
There are many infamous areas in the pacific with strong currents reducing speed to 1 knot at ahead full. If these were being simulated I'm sure we'd be hearing a lot from the "outagas" crowd.
If you watch the rudder text in the navigation/control bar, you can see any adjustements being made to the rudder by the navigation system. Typically on a long stretch between waypoints, I see no compensations being made until very close to the next waypoint which is typical as the resolution to maintain the heading gets smaller and smaller.
Just as waves are suppressed in dock to ease the tasking of pulling up near the pier and avoiding traffic, I think wind effects are suppressed also.
-Pv-
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