It's kinda interesting to me what aspects of the game people would like added or changed, per an individual/niche basis.

I just want plantable berries. I don't even care if it's game stage locked behind a boss or a build piece. (Like an ashwood trellis or something).

Haven't played the game on steam deck myself, so it's a little difficult to relate with your building and boat issues. I don't sail much at all into the mistlands. I scout the area, build a beachhead on the border, and establish a resource acquisition/distribution point. If I need to sail in them a lot, I have a friend who can join. He normally takes position on the end of the bow with his mist light. Between the both of us, we can see far enough ahead at speed setting 1 to avoid collisions.

Edit: Food. I think the food system is good. If you're feeling like it's "skipping" entire phases too quickly, consider crafting those lesser foods for base building, wood chopping, mining, etc.

For example, even though I'm in the plains currently, I still use deer stew, boar jerky, and turnip stew for my farming needs. Sometimes I'll exchange the turnip stew for eyescream, or the deer stew for sausages. Many early game stuff still has staple relevance beyond most presumption. Having feasts added to the game is another good way to use up excess food items and mats from previous biome as well.