G'day Jackie, The answer to your question depends very much on the reason for voyage, the destination and time of year. Commercial passenger ships would be sailing from Liverpool and Glasgow. These ports were within easy reach of Orkney owing to the fishing vessels off loading their catch in the South. (My Great Grandfather and his siblings returned to Orkney in the 1860s by fishing vessel from North Shields after the death of their mother). The time of year would determine the port of arrival as the St Lawrence freezes over in winter. So winter arrivals could be at Halifax or even Boston. The Hudsons Bay Company ships sailed from Stromness often for ports in the Canadian Arctic and for this reason early settlement in Manitoba was from North to South, not East to West. Then there would be the ships that went around Cape Horn to the west coast. I've several Orcadian cousins who's first arrival in North America was in California or Washington or British Columbia. As regards passenger lists, don't hold your breath looking for departure lists in Great Britain, they're very rare. You're far more likely to find an arrival list in Canada or the USA. Cheers David Perth, Western Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: Jackie Middleton <jackiemiddleton@home.com> To: <ORKNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 1999 5:00 AM Subject: [ORKNEY] ports for Canada-bound ships How many ports in the Orkney's would have had ships bound for trans-Atlantic trips to Canada in the early 1900's? I'd like to begin searching for the records of my ancestors but have no clue as to what ports would have been used on the Orkneys. Any ideas? Jackie