FOR them, their livelihood is at stake too.

The crew of the Hythe Ferry is calling on Daily Echo readers to join the campaign to save the historic vessel.

The future is looking uncertain for the 27 men and women employed by White Horse Ferries Ltd to operate the vital link between Hythe and Southampton.

They work in a variety of roles, from the ferry crew and train drivers to the engineering staff and office workers.

On the bridge of the 165-person capacity ferry yesterday, the weather was calm as sunlight glistened on Southampton Water, but the crew remained anxious about the potential rough times ahead.

The campaign to save the ferry was launched after the firm was hit by business rates soaring by 740 per cent.

Ferry bosses believe that the service could be crippled and forced to close as early as next winter.

Valuation officers who calculated the controversial new valuation have pledged to meet White Horse bosses to review the figures already.

From the bridge of the ferry, Captain Sath Naidoo told the Daily Echo: "This is our livelihood. I cannot really imagine doing anything else.

"It's a family. This place runs on team spirit, it wouldn't run otherwise. It is not one person that drives it, it is many people doing many things that push it along."

Three separate crews take it in turns to work on the ferry, which operates seven days a week.

"Without the ferry a big gap would be left in Hythe. It would die and the A326 would be almost impassable," added the captain.

"There is literally one road in and one road out. If you want to sit in that every morning you must need your brain testing!"

First officer Peter Dewey added: "There is something about this job. Boats do have this awe about them and I have always worked around them.

"Working on Hythe Ferry is great and I enjoy dealing with the public. I am training to be a captain and would be devastated if I lost this job."

Second officer Timothy Diaper dreams of one day becoming the captain of QE2 and sees working on the ferry as one of the first steps on the way to a glittering career.

"I rely on this job for my livelihood and I have always been interested in boats," he said. "I am ambitious and this job has helped me to learn a lot of new skills. I want to keep this chance to progress up the career ladder."