The Ice Dragons began their voyage at 6pm on Friday night on Lake Burley Griffin and passed the previous record of 151km at around 1pm yesterday. They then continued to set a new mark at 168.5km before leaving the water to the cheers of their supporters, including some that stayed by the water all night.

Crew member Fred Lehmann said it was an exciting achievement for the Ice Dragons.

''Dragon boating has become such a popular worldwide sport and now we are a record holder,'' he said.

''For a small club in Canberra it is really exciting.''

The Ice Dragons had until 6pm last night to break the record, but by 2:30pm the crew was already celebrating.

''When you have a goal in mind and you reach that goal it is just something really special,'' Lehmann said. ''It's just that euphoria knowing that you have now achieved something that no one else has achieved as a team.''

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times