The first boats and rafts in history used sails made of animal skins. Other early peoples, such as the Egyptians, wove reeds together in mats to make sails. The Egyptians were also the first to make cloth sails as early as 3300 BC. The Phoenicians, who were great Mediterranean sailors, also used cloth sails. Over the centuries, people began weaving sails with other fibers, including hemp, flax, ramie, and jute. But it was actually flax fiber which was the primary material for sails throughout the age of exploration (approximately 1450-1650). With the passing of time, due to the increase in the cultivation and processing of cotton, this material replaced flax. Moreover, in 1851, the racing yacht America crowned the cotton sail as supreme, due to its victory during a sailing race (today known as America’s Cup Race) in which it beat 14 British vessels. Regardless of this, sailboats themselves began as single logs and simple rafts. More sophisticated shapes for hulls that would cut through the water grew out of military use, but also from merchant sailors who built extensive trading networks crisscrossing the Mediterranean Sea. When day-sailors were built for fishing and recreation, they were essentially miniature copies of naval ships like schooners and cutters. The elaborate yachts that were the playthings of royal families and the wealthy also copied naval sailing ships.