Stuck in the Volga Swamp

[Martian Patriot]

I'm appalled at how slow my progress has been but try as I might, I'm still stuck in the first segment. I can't get anywhere via boat as the shrimp just spit me to death and I can't hope to gun them all down before they melt me in seconds. What exactly am I missing here? Because it seems I have to use a boat to get to most places on this map.

[zombie-flesheater]

It helps a lot to use fast travel to move between safehouses once you've discovered them. Besides that, you'll have to use the boat...

[cuss]

The boat is only needed to get to five locations. The Church, the Terminal, diary page island, Upgrade island (gas can puzzle), haunted clinic island. The last two can be accessed via a docked boat at the end of a spit of land past the bandits camp in ruins. On Krest's side there is a train spanning the water you can walk across and the other side has a set of semi-submerged railway tracks for walking. If you're a collector do the diary page island first because there's only one boat to get there and then do the Terminal and kill the fish. That makes water travel safer. The shrimp will still be there but if you limit your boat travel it'll be easier.
ps. Get a shotgun.

[Jig McGalliger]

You can run to the crane, you don't have to use the boat. Try shooting the shrimp...

[Martian Patriot]

I eventually found a brick wall just barely jutting out of the water that I could use to cross a location and indeed never had to use a boat again. Phew!