I would recommend setting sail across the ocean on 3 ships and claiming a great discovery when you run into a giant already inhabited land mass.
As for new HBD worlds, I believe WIS has been known to consider starting them IF AND ONLY IF you have 32 owners (not 32 aliases) that all agree to a multi-season commitment. However, I have found that other than the most tarded-up public leagues, joining an existing league is not much different then joining a new one - the only difference being with a new world you dont get to peek into the box to see what you have before you open it.