The boat can definitely handle more than you want to, assuming the driver knows what he is doing. In the stream, driver knowledge can get real important , real fast, and it depends a lot on the direction of travel relative to where the weather is coming from. The stream can develop big, heavily breaking waves, quick. Running parallel is not a big deal as long as you stay away from the breakers. Going into them or especially, away from them is a different story. If it gets nasty unexpectedly, coming home parallel to the sea is a good idea even if that gets you to shore a long way from where you started from.
I'd say, for most boaters, stay out of the stream if the wind direction is anywhere from the north at more than 10 knots, or 15-20 knots if from the south. If there is the possibility of big squalls with a lot of wind, stay home or at least not far into the stream. Predicted sea state doesn't mean much when a big squall comes along.
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