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Leading the pack in the women's voyageur division was a team of five seasoned River Quest veterans and one ambitious rookie.

With the majority of the six-member team having at least one Quest experience in their paddling repertoire, the Skirting Disaster team challenged Such a Blast for second place overall behind the Australian Down Under Dogs.

By the time they pulled into Dawson on Friday afternoon, they had cut more than eight hours off the 2006 record of 50 hours and 59 minutes set by the False Creek Women.

Verena Koenig, Veronica Wisniewski, Mary Tipton, Kam Davies, Sharon Colley and Joanie Pelletier made up the international team that had members from the US, Austria, England and across Canada.

About an hour and a half outside of Dawson the team decided to try and cross the finish line in under 43 hours.

"We were already exhausted but we said 鈥榣et's go for it,'鈥� said Mary Tipton, whose husband was a member of the 2010 and 2011 Texans, the winning men's voyageur team.

Skirting Disaster reached the finish line with ten minutes to spare, gliding in with a time of 42:50.

"It feels great, said Koenig, who hails from Austria but now lives in Whitehorse.

"It feels great to have the accomplishment and to have the record.鈥�

Tipton said the crew felt a rush of energy by the consistent presence of their support crew.

"It always pumps you up to have friends and family standing on the shore,鈥� she said.

"They've driven a long way just to come see you at maybe four or five points along this big race.鈥�

"Verena's parents come from Austria and I think they've had even more fun that we did.鈥�

The team were following Such a Blast for much of the race, arriving just five minutes behind them on Friday afternoon.

Colley, who competed in the 2011 River Quest as a solo kayaker, highlighted the mental endurance it takes to paddle over 700-km in three days but credited the camaraderie in the boat in propelling the team to the finish line.

"The stretch before the last 30-kilometres was very windy, very hard,鈥� she said.

"Everything hurt, both physically and mentally, a lot of this race in mental. We all had highs and lows during the race but we had a really good spirit, we were a really good team.鈥�

When the team finally reached Dawson, they were jubilant, hugging each other and members of their support crew while continuing to chat their mantra that could be heard along the water during the three day challenge.

"We are skirting disaster, we paddle faster, we will kick your ass, sir,鈥� they shouted in unison.

Joanie Pelletier was one of the most vocal members of the team and also the veteran of the group. This year marked her fourth year participating in the River Quest.

"It's my best year,鈥� she said. "I guess you learn and gain muscle memory.鈥�

Pelletier highlighted the stretch of water between Fort Selkirk and Kirkman Creek as, once again, being the toughest stretch of water to paddle through.

"It's hell and I think that's where the racing is done,鈥� she said.

"If you can keep in your mind that its just a stretch and you're going to go through it, you will. You slow down so much because it's night , its cold, there's nothing to look at and you're dead tired.鈥�

Tipton, the lone rookie in the boat, said the her experienced teammates had her prepared and ready to compete.

"I just asked the girls about the right equipment and off we went,鈥� she said.

"Being from Texas, the weather was a hug concern from me. Everyone warned me about hypothermia and getting into trouble.鈥�

Tipton met the majority of the team in last year's Quest while she was working as support for the Texans.

"I asked them if they would want to put together a girls team and they said yes and we just had a ball,鈥� she said.

"It sure is nice to be on dry land but we really had fun, it was a fun team and we worked together really well.鈥�