Why are you assuming the oceans would be heavily irradiated? It wasn't (Pacific Ocean) in Fallout 2 and in Fallout 3 the Atlantic Ocean is only slightly irradiated and you have to remember that Bethesda just desided that radioactive water would be a coolz to have, even though its been 200 years and no other Fallout... anyways the oceans aren't heavily irradiated. Even if they were it wouldn't stop ships from taveling.
Also why would FEV make super sharks and other sea monsters? In Fallout 2 there is an Oil Tanker that later sales off into the sunset and in Fallout 3 there is that fairy boat going around.
The most likely way Tenpenny got to America was by ship. To bad Bethesda didn't give us any information about how he got to America, why he came to America, what was it like where he came from or even made it clear in the game that he came from across the oceans.