Dudley was excluded from court for this secret marriage, but only for a few days. Margaret was given two ships by her father Robert, named the "Leicester" and the "Roebuck". She soon died childless. In 1594, Dudley assembled a fleet of ships, including his flagship, the galleon "Beare", as well as the "Beare's Whelpe", and the pinnaces "Earwig" and "Frisking". He intended to use them to harass the Spaniards in the Atlantic. The Queen did not approve of his plans, because of his inexperience and the value of the ships. She did commission him as a general but insisted that he sail to Guiana, instead. Dudley recruited 275 veteran sailors, including the navigator Abraham Kendal, and the captains Thomas Jobson and Benjamin Wood. Dudley's fleet sailed on 6 November 1594, but a sudden storm separated the ships and drove the vessels back to different ports. Dudley sent word to the captain of the "Beare's Whelp" to join him in the Canary Islands or Cabo Blanco, and he sailed again. At first, Dudley's trip proved unlucky: the "Earwig" sank, and most of the vessels he encountered were friendly. Dudley led only one raid in the Gulf of Lagos. In December, the expedition finally managed to capture two Spanish ships at Tenerife. Dudley renamed them "Intent" and "Regard", manned them with his sailors, and put Captain Woods in charge. He sailed to Cabo Blanco, expecting to meet the "Beare's Whelpe" there, but it did not show up. Dudley's fleet sailed to Trinidad and anchored at Cedros Bay on 31 January 1595. There, he discovered an island that he claimed for the English crown and named "Dudleiana". Then he sailed to Paracoa Bay for repairs and made a reconnaissance to San Jose de Oruna, but decided not to attack it. Dudley divided his forces, sending the "Intent" and "Regard" to the north. In Trinidad, he recruited a Spanish-speaking Indian who promised to escort an expedition to a gold mine up the Orinoco River. The expedition, led by Captain Jobson, returned after two weeks; as it turned out, their guide had deserted them, and they had struggled back. Dudley returned to Trinidad. On 12 March, Dudley's fleet sailed north, where it finally captured a Spanish merchantman.