After nearly three days out of service because of repair work to the ferry's generator, the Island Home will be back in commission starting Thursday evening.

The Steamship Authority said Thursday that the Island Home would resume its normal operating schedule beginning with the 6:15 p.m. Thursday trip from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven.

The ferry was originally pulled from service early Tuesday morning. Steamship Authority treasurer/comptroller Robert Davis told the Gazette Tuesday that the ship's service generator had developed a leak, with the cooling portion of the generator leaking into the oil. Mr. Davis said at the time that SSA mechanics would find and fix the leak at the Woods Hole dock and the work was expected to take 10 to 12 hours. On Wednesday, the Steamship Authority revised the estimate, saying that service was expected to resume on Saturday, Feb. 7.

But service resumed ahead of schedule on Thursday.

While the Island Home was out of commission, the freight vessel Sankaty replaced the passenger ferry. 

Between the weather and mechanical issues on ferries, the SSA has experienced frequent cancellations in recent weeks.