After a gruelling battle with the elements, the Coxless Crew made history as the first all-female rowing crew to cross the South Pacific Ocean.

The six-person British crew left San Francisco, California in April 2015 and arrived in Cairns, Australia on Jan. 24th after travelling more than 8,500 miles (13,679 kilometres) and spending 257 days at sea, according to the team's Facebook page.

Led by Laura Penhurst, the permanent crew consisted of Emma Mitchell and Natalia Cohen, with Isabel Burnham, Lizanne van Vuuren and Meg Dyos taking one leg each. On a boat named Doris, the women travelled unassisted, rotating in two-hour shifts, with a 90-minute break for sleep. The only stops were in Hawaii and Samoa for a week each.

The Coxless Crew began their voyage with the aim of raising 250,000 pounds (A$509,298, US$357,487) for two charities, Walking With the Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. In the process, they hoped to raise awareness for women facing adversity. So far, the team have raised 30,000 pounds.

In the nine months they spent at sea, the women rowed for 6,200 hours, ate 1,020 dehydrated meals, drank 7,700 litres of water and used 12 large tubs of sudocream, according to Facebook. It was originally meant to take the team five to six months to complete the trip, but due to wild weather their time of arrival was continuously delayed.

Arrival 25 Jan 2016 - courtesy of Losing Sight of Shore WE HAVE ARRIVED! More than 9 months after Doris set off from San Francisco, we have made land in Cairns, Australia. 257 days at sea, nearly 6200 hours of rowing, 1020+ dehydrated meals consumed, 7700+ litres of water drunk, 12 giant tubs of sudocrem, sea creatures, passing ships, sunsets, sunrises, torrential rain, black nights, starry nights, huge swells, flat calm, sea sickness, salt sores, storms, swimming, "showering", "bucketing", birthdays, Christmas, New Years, tears, hugs, laugher and unbreakable bonds formed between the 6 of us. We crossed our Pacific! Thank you all so much for supporting us and sharing our journey. We are hugely proud to have rowed in support of Breast Cancer Care and Walking With The Wounded. Help us reach our fundraising target and donate here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=coxlesscrew&pageUrl=2 Posted by Coxless Crew on Sunday, January 24, 2016

On Sunday, the Coxless Crew wrote: "It has been an exhausting and emotional few days as we make our approach to land. We expected last night to be our final one on Doris and to reach Australia this evening but the Pacific has other ideas with strong southerly currents and the wind turning against us."

To make it to their destination, they were forced to draw on everything they had left.

"We have been told that our last chance is to row like we’ve never rowed before and make it to Cairns tomorrow morning. Now is the time to dig deep and draw on all of our mental, physical and emotional strength," the team wrote.

"The last 8500nm don’t matter anymore, it is all about these last 20. It’s fair to say that with physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation and a lack of savoury food we are being tested to our limits. However this is where we draw on our SPIRIT, row hard, row strong, row together."

On Monday, at 10 a.m. local time, Doris and the Coxless Crew arrived in Cairns. They had completed their mission, becoming the first group to finish a three-stage row on this route across the Pacific.

Filmmaker Sarah Moshman, who is making a documentary about their journey titled "Losing Sight of Shore," met with the women each time they hit land and provided them with equipment to document the trip. She told Mashable Australia she was "honoured" to work on such a project.

"I felt overwhelmed with emotion when the girls arrived in Cairns," she said. "They represent who we all wish to be when faced with adversity and they truly made history today. They inspire me to no end."

"The most eye opening part of their journey to me is their sheer determination. There were so many moments where they could have given up or wanted to quit and they never stopped. This is an incredible story of courage, perseverance and friendship and I can't wait to share it with the world."

Mashable Australia has contacted the team for comment, but we assume they are busy having a sleep and eating some vegetables.

[h/t ABC News]