Ugh! Is this supposed to be the New Zealand game? Two small islands far from anywhere?
In any case, I founded on the spot and started researching Writing at 100%. Build order: curragh-warrior-settler. By roading the sugar before mining and skipping the second curragh, you both get more research and a quicker settler. Ive been trying out Wacken theory that it pays to waste shields if you can get a settler faster. Ive become a believer. London repeated this build a second time. York went granary-settler-warrior-curragh-curragh-settler.
These four curraghs were the only ones I built. The first went along the north side of Byzantugal , then around Netherage, finding Theo, Henry, William and Hannibal. The routes that the second and third followed shall remain a secret, but suffice it to say that I did find our two other opponents. The fourth helped explore the nearby continents. All eventually made it home. One eventually died fighting a barb galley.
When Writing arrived in 2510 BC, it was time to make the crucial decision: MM or CoL? All six AIs start with Alphabet and the ones I knew were several techs ahead of me. I felt it extremely unlikely I could get Mapmaking first and still get a Republic Slingshot. The alternative of going directly for the Sling would probably work but we needed MM badly. As I mentioned in the pre-game thread, Republic is not urgent anyway (although its always nice to get an expensive tech). For small waterless civs, the choice is more between Monarchy and Despotism and IMO, Despo is better especially if you are not religious. In the end I rook a third route, one I had mentioned in the pre-game thread. I started on Philo. Then a couple of turns later I sold writing to the AI in hopes that it would research MM for me then. In any case, I would take the most expensive tech out there as my free one. This actually turned out to be MM.
QSC stats
6 cities, pop 9
all 1st and 2nd level techs plus MM and Philo, three turns from Currency
all contacts, all embassies, 66g
1 granary, 2 harbours, 1 barracks
4 workers, 4 galleys, 1 curragh, 4 warriors, 1 spearman
I decided to make my new home on the Portuzine continent. It has good lands and, in the far north east, there is the most precious of all resources water! I planned on one, perhaps two, Palace jumps. The first would take me into the uninhabited regions in the northeast peninsula and the second, if done, to somewhere more central.
My first three cities were founded on South Island. London and York were settler factories

while Nottingham was devoted to military. The next two cities went on North Island and occupied themselves with workers for the colonization attempt to come.
My first city in New England was Coventry, founded at the choke leading to Byzantium in order to strike out a claim for the lands. Next came Warwick and Newcastle in the far north, with the objective of getting water to our new home. The last city founded in the AE was Oxford which would be the new capital. I entered the MA the same turn as the capital was founded. The choice of which cities to build first was partly related to the barb issue. I stayed well away from the barb camp in the southwest corner, which had five horses and three warriors while my entire military still only consisted of four archers, four warriors, and a spear.
Here is New England as we enter the Middle Ages. The dots show cities which are planned. The blot called Heraclea must go. It is founded on a wheat!
Cities:
London 4000
York 2950
Nottingham 2070
Hastings 1700
Canterbury 1375
Coventry 1225
Warwick 875
Newcastle 750
Oxford 650