Current Yukon River Quest record holder Steven Landick and his canoeing partner Bruce Barton were the first team to arrive in Carmacks this morning, on Day 2 of the 2004 Quest.

Traveling under the team name 'Michigan' in honour of their home state, Landick and Barton hit the Carmacks checkpoint at 8:34 a.m., which is a record pace for the River Quest. In the event's six-year history, no racer has ever arrived at the first checkpoint before 9 a.m.

They have a mandatory seven-hour layover in Carmacks before heading out to Kirkman Creek this afternoon, where they will have a mandatory three-hour layover.

The race record in elapsed time on the river is 44 hours and nine minutes, but most teams average between 55 and 70 hours.

As of 10:30 a.m., the rest of the racers were between Hootalinqua and Carmacks, although officials reported a forest fire just before Big Salmon which had jumped the river and was making things a bit tricky for the paddlers traveling through the area.

Yukon River Quest Spokeswoman Dianne Villesche said there were three paddlers left between the fire and Big Salmon, but she didn't anticiapte any problems getting through it.

Whitehorse's Linda Bourassa, competing in a solo kayak under the name 'Grand Bun Bun', was the top woman in the race at the start of Day 2. She was in 10th place overall.

Rounding out the top ten were: solo kayaker Derek Crook (3-D Man-Go Kayaker) of Nanaimo, B.C.; canoeists Chris Gerwing and Tim Hodgson (Gerwing/Hodgson) of Winnipeg and Whitehorse respectively; canoeists Francis Roy and Jean-Francois Latour (All North/Waterstone Frontec) of Whitehorse; canoeists Terry Bolland and Edgar Vaneer (Aussie Invaders) of Australia; Sam Vander Merwe and Mark Puttey (Fookawi) of Victoria, B.C., and Orange County, California, respectively; solo kayaker Stephen Mooney (Promithian) of Whitehorse; tandem kayakers Jason Merron and Charmian Gradwell (Jason and the Argonaut) of England; and Kent Fenton and Rick Brown (Potato Barge II) of DeWinton, Alberta, and Whitehorse respectively.

There were no scratches as of noon today and the weather remains sunny and hot with a light breeze.

The first teams are expected to arrive in Dawson City during the early evening on Friday or on Saturday. The wrap-up barbecue and awards night, including the cheque presentation, will be Sunday, June 27.