A little more than 50 people gathered at the St. Johns River ferry pavilion Saturday to show their support for keeping the ferry operational.

Jacksonville Port Authority officials have said the ferry is too expensive to run and it needs $2.2 million in “priority one” repairs within the next year as well as more than $6 million in repairs over the next five years.

Young and old wore baby blue T-shirts Saturday in support of the ferry. They clapped and shouted as the ferry left its slip and honked its horn.

Elaine Brown, head of the task force trying to save the ferry, implored people to visit the group’s website, keeptheferry.org, and volunteer toward the effort.

The Port Authority has scheduled a Feb. 27 meeting where the board could decide how to move forward. CEO Paul Anderson has asked the board for direction on the issue.

Brown wants JaxPort to keep the ferry until her group and others can find a way to fund it. The former city councilwoman said she hopes to see hundreds of supporters at the Feb. 27 meeting.

Ann Hutchinson Duff of Fernandina Beach uses the ferry once a week to visit her mother in Neptune Beach, and her son uses the ferry weekly to get home from his job at Specialty Marine.

“We need this ferry,” Duff said. “I don’t want him [her son] driving 30 miles out of the way going on 9A. He’s 20 years old.”

John Potts of Murray Hill said the ferry is important to Jacksonville’s history.