While you do have some good points, some others are essentially "the game didn't hold my hand, and didn't spoonfeed me every hint or tip the first time I ever played it."
The tutorial is still a work in progress, and it could use some additional things.
Eight guys ineffectually throwing water on a boat while shouting "it'll take more than a a few buckets to save her" is probably enough of a clue that one more bucket isn't going to help. The tutorial dungeon gave another tip about the burning ship.
The Fabulous Five NPC is intentionally annoying. You're not supposed to like him. You can also just say "I'll take my leave" right away to stop talking to him.
If you HAD taken on the Fabulous Five quest, you could have talked to Arhu about his monstrosity and gotten help.
The harbour gate hasn't been updated to use the same dialogue as the in-town gates, which suggest getting companions and higher levels, and yes that should be done.
A lot of your complaints about the combat are the result of you going out, finding it very difficult, and then continuing on in the exact same way for hours, repeatedly banging your head against the wall. If something isn't working, try something different.
You didn't look around for backup or try lowering the difficulty in the game options. You clearly entered the tavern, but didn't talk to Madora. The Companions first dialogue is "oh boy can I join you, huh, can I, can I"? No payment or quest required. Jahan isn't the easiest to find, and rumours from NPC's suggesting the existence of companions could help, but you should try looking around and talking to people.
