Sausages and Mussels arrived at the finish line of the Yukon River Quest in Dawson City with a bang.

The mixed voyageur canoe team lit fireworks from the boat, provoking cheers from the spectators lining the shoreline.

The Whitehorse-based team finished second overall in the 13th annual Yukon River Quest with a time of 44 hours, 37 minutes, less than two hours behind winners the Texans, who came in at 42:17.

Sausages and Mussels rower Cynthia Corriveau was ebullient at the finish line.

"It felt great. It felt so good. The whole team was together. We were just paddling, gliding together, it was amazing, just the feeling, and we were happy,” Corriveau said.

"We had great times in the boat, maybe too many great times.”

Those great times continued on shore.

The Texans were there to greet Sausages and Mussels team members – Corriveau, Dan Girouard, Justin Wallace, Verena Koenig, Philippe Mouchet and Joanie Pelletier.

Koenig busted open a bottle of champagne while her teammates double fisted beer and Gatorade.

"There's a pretty amazing dynamic in the group,” Mouchet said.

Mouchet explained that the crew came together organically.

They bought their boat last year. Then it was a matter of getting the rest to fall into place.

The team started training over the winter.

Their hard work clearly paid off.

"Right from that time there was a great unity in the group, in training everybody was always on time and happy to be there,” Mouchet said. "We were just one the whole time.”

Girouard, Koenig, Mouchet and Pelletier had competed in the River Quest previously, while Wallace and Corriveau were newcomers.

"We had expectations, but we were open (to all possibilities), and we just wanted to do our own race and see where we would finish,” Corriveau said.

"But we were confident that we could finish the race and have a good time.”

Sausages and Mussels set their sights on finishing under 45 hours.

Mission accomplished.

But they're still interested in returning to take the title from the Texans next year.

"It's a super awesome tradition that the team who wins waits here (at the finish line), even though they could have had a shower and had dinner,” Corriveau said.

"They're waiting for us here to finish.” Pelletier agreed.

"It's an amazing feeling to have all those people on the shore waiting for you,” she said.

Who brought the fireworks?

"That was Philippe,” Pelletier said.

Those fireworks were a surprise for the team at midnight for Canada Day celebrations.

The team paddled down the river at 2 a.m. singing Oh Canada.

"We started singing two o'clock in the night because we forgot to sing at midnight,”

Corriveau said, adding of the fireworks. "So we're singing along and then ba-boom!

"We didn't expect that.”