I presumed that making the next site didn't pose any risk other than an extra hour or two of travelling.  One wasn't going to be forced to set-up in the dark or cross open water during a thunderstorm.  That the worst case was asking to share the next site if occupied or set-up on the portage or other less than ideal location for one night.


Move on, take my chances.  Mostly because of the noise that tends to come with groups of 4+ people.  Though there may be other circumstances that make the added security of a group near attractive, kinda rare though.


Ideally I would chat the group up and find out where they intend to camp if the opportunity presents itself.  If they mention the same site I'm bound for, mention that there's a race on.  I've pulled up to sites at the same time as others before with that awkward moment before one group grows a pair and stakes a claim.

In my experience the etiquitte is that if you know there are folks behind you and another site ahead of you, leave them the closer & more appropriate site for their group.  This is mitigated by the solo paddler needing to TCB & if you're out-pacing tandem folks - you rock & they suck.  Solo changes my priorities a little from allocating based on what's appropriate to making sure I'm safe.

One should be prepared to share their site for the night if there aren't *any* other sites that can be gotten to before sundown.  Fault & poor planning be damned when the sun is setting an folks need to make camp.  Something I find is missing from some contemporary trippers.  Often folks behave like they've founded a nation when they make camp.  Back in the day any port in a storm was the norm and the occasional shared firepit respects the people & the land.