The first English attempts to colonize North America were controlled by individualsrather than companies. Sir Humphrey Gilbert was the first Englishman to send colonists to theNew World. His initial expedition, which sailed in 1578 with a patent granted by QueenElizabeth was defeated by the Spanish. A second attempt ended in disaster in 1583, whenGilbert and his ship were lost in a storm. In the following year, Gilbert's half-brother, SirWater Raleigh, having obtained a renewal of the patent, sponsored an expedition that exploredthe coast of the region that he named "Virginia." Under Raleigh's direction efforts were thenmade to establish a colony on Roanoke island in 1585 and 1587. The survivors of the firstsettlement on Roanoke returned to England in 1586, but the second group of colonistsdisappeared without leaving a trace. The failure of the Gilbert and Raleigh ventures made itclear that the tasks they had undertaken were too big for any one colonizer. Within a shorttime the trading company had supplanted the individual promoter of colonization.