Thanks for tips Sokaku :-)
Creating a new character showed that the tag at homebase was PlainsEdge, not Plainsedge. Changing the tag solved the portal issue. Next time I will build an untagged portal at homebase before exploring.
About the nails, I will try the tip using ladders if this happens again in the future. In my present location, I was lucky to find a burial cave close by with 10 surtling cores, so I built a charcoal kiln and a smelter, and then a forge to make new bronze nails.

A better way to destroy your boat is to make sure you have the inventory space, then stand next to the mast and hack away at it. When the ship breaks everything goes immediately into your inventory, even if in deep water. The items "spawn" at the center of the ship.

Kudos to Jiroc when I came across this gem. (Was looking for what to do during a capsize event in a storm, but I don't think this would help when the boat's literally upside down:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6G19m-gFKg&ab_channel=JiroctheViking

When I play this game, I know I am going to have many portals throughout the world, so I always build a portal hub at the starting area since it's a place I will be coming back to several times, (to place Forsaken trophies), and because it's one of the safest places to put it.
(won't be involved in raid events, like it would if it was placed at main base. It's also fairly large and don't like having this huge thing at my main base.

As mentioned above, always leave one portal unnamed (default), so while out exploring, connecting to the portal hub is as easy as placing a portal and jumping through...

At the portal hub side, place down a new portal and name it something you want your newest destination to be called, then jump back through the unnamed portal and rename the portal to match... now you are connected to the portal hub as well as ready to repeat the process the next time a new portal should be placed.

This is an example of a portal hub I use, complete with a fully upgraded workbench and forge (for quick repairs to gear), and right near the gate I have a portal that leads to my main base, and right next to that is the unnamed portal which ALWAYS remains the unnamed portal.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2910492643

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2910492720

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2910492892

Nails definitely sink, and can end up trickling down slopes into deeper water. So you might try building a bit of a tower, 2 ladders should suffice, near where you popped the boat then take a few leaps into nearby deeper water and see if they pop into your inventory. I don't generally pop my boats, I just leave them near portals and use a map marker. If I do intend to wreck them then I beach them first.

Other than that, clear the name on your existing portal, dump your stuff in a couple chests, then wander off and get yourself whacked.

When you respawn (hopefully at/near your base) go to the portal you intended to connect and clear the name. Now it should connect with that remote portal so you can retrieve your stuff.

You can rename portals on a return trip as portals will remain linked for a few moments after renaming. I always travel with a blank portal at home. When I get to an interesting spot I slap down an unnamed portal for relaying stuff. If I want to keep the location, I can rename the portal (You need to take care to use a unique name, and Case MaTTeRs) then quickly step through the portal while it is still active to return to home base, then rename that portal to match. It should be deactivated when you arrive and then activate a few seconds after you rename it. Be sure to do it in that order, naming the remote portal FIRST then then home portal. That way *IF* you screw up, you're stranded at home, not timbuktoo.

If your respawn is still back at base, you could change the current portal's name to something unique, die nearby where it won't be hard to retrieve (maybe jump off something nearby and die to fall damage), respawn at base, make a new portal with the name of the portal near your corpse. Bring nails with you to your corpse to make a new boat and continue your adventure.

Or make a new character, have it join your world and run to base to double-check the portals are as they need to be, or for it to make a new one.

Originally posted by Suzaku:

If your respawn is still back at base, you could change the current portal's name to something unique, die nearby where it won't be hard to retrieve (maybe jump off something nearby and die to fall damage), respawn at base, make a new portal with the name of the portal near your corpse. Bring nails with you to your corpse to make a new boat and continue your adventure.

Or make a new character, have it join your world and run to base to double-check the portals are as they need to be, or for it to make a new one.

Thanks for tip. Unfortunately I had quite a few stop over at locations on my way, the last one on an island not connected to the island with my main base. Maybe I should try your second tip and create a new character.
I had a save while I still was on my boat travel (saved by quitting the game), but right after arrival there was a "the forest is moving" event, and the game obviously makes a save after such events, because when I closed the game's window from desctop after giving up finding the nails,, the reload did not bring me back to my boat travel, but to a point right after "the forest is moving" event.

I like the new character to check base portals idea.

My hindsight idea is always have an untagged portal for emergancies, you can't ever forget the name or type it wrong - you can still forget if you've used it however. Plus depending on the emergency you may not want to take the time to type a tag - this way you don't have to.

I always use blank for exploring, and build a new portal at base if I want that location permanent instead - then just hop back and tag it.

to avoid this in the future... leave your exploring portal unnamed.

Is there any restrictions on tag name? For example number of letters? The tag I used was Plainsedge.

Originally posted by hazelrah:

to avoid this in the future... leave your exploring portal unnamed.

I'm not sure I understand. What I have been practising, is the following sequence:
1. Build new portal at home base. Give it a tag name X that has not yet been used.
2. Build a portal at new location and give the portal the tag X.

There is a character limit, and capitalization matters. Other than that, you can't have more than 2 portals with the same name, or else the others won't connect.

Just have a nameless portal in a safe place possibly close to spawn, if something happens just construct a nameless portal and you have access again. If you wish to build a portal in a permanent location then place down a 3rd portal at your base with the name, go through the nameless portal and give that the name so you have a 2 way link.

The nameless portal should only be used temporarily until you can fix the issue, it's also good for an emergency escape. Keep the materials for the portal in your boat and most islands should allow you to build one anyway you can get fine wood easily just by rolling a tree into the birch tree until it breaks, Surtling cores can be grabbed from the Swamp or Burial Chambers, the Swamp isn't difficult to navigate just avoid the night when wraiths come out.

To have many portals give them a code like an airstrip so Island 1 can be AA for example so your portal could be like "AABB Home", have the name on your map as well if you need to remember it should something happen.

If you want to cheat just swim until you get to an island you can use, go into another world to recover stamina.

Originally posted by tomoscar:

I'm not sure I understand.

When you build a portal, it is unnamed at first. If you keep one like that at your base, any new portal you will build will connect to it if you don't rename the new one.