Leaving Cowes harbour on our port quarter, we stood for Leep Buoy, off the mouth of the Beaulieu River.  Hence we steered for the village of Leep, on the mainland.  Truck knowing the river well, we ran on until we came to an anchor off the village of Exbury.  Here it was thought safer to bring up, and proceed the rest of the distance in the boat.  The river above Exbury becomes very narrow, and we might have got becalmed, or, what would have been worse, we might have stuck on the mud.