When you send a booking, it starts as Requested. This is an inquiry to the owner, not a reservation -- your dates are not held yet, which means another guest could request the same dates at the same time. The owner reviews requests and decides who to confirm.
Once the owner confirms
The booking becomes Confirmed. At that point your dates are locked in -- no one else can book over them -- and the cancellation terms you saw at checkout now apply to your booking.
Why it works this way
Holding dates for every unanswered request would mean a single pending inquiry could block a boat's entire calendar indefinitely. Letting several guests request the same dates, with the owner choosing who to confirm, keeps a boat actually bookable while a request is still pending.
What this means for your card
Your card is only authorized, not charged, while a booking is Requested. See when is my card charged for the full payment timeline.
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