actually, I am all about the raft. Take off all your stuff. Totally "just died" nekkid. Better, wait until you DO die for it.
make a raft. Sail off to see what its all about. Die, and you lost ... nothing worth getting back. Eat stam food if you eat at all, so you can emergency swim.

If you find a barnacle island (yea yea its a critter but it looks like an island) mark the location and come back with a pick. Try to get 3 nodes as fast as you can, stamina food here again.

As a new player, my disappointment was extreme when I landed on one of these with a bag full of construction materials ready to set up shop. Sadly, you can't build on them.