In the first third of 2018 549 ferries were cancelled because of mechanical problems, more than triple the amount in the last four years combined.

Frustrated travelers and disruptions in service were again the story for the problem-plagued Steamship Authority over the weekend and into Monday.

The ferry Martha’s Vineyard lost power late Saturday afternoon, triggering a long evening of disruptions. On Sunday morning it cleared sea trials and was back in service.

The freight ferry Katama remained out of service Wednesday afternoon due to a failed generator. The SSA said technicians were working on the problem.

Islanders gave earful to Steamship Authority governors and senior managers Monday at the first meeting on the Vineyard since last month’s calamitous run of ferry breakdowns and cancellations.

An unprecedented streak of mechanical breakdowns, and more recently ferry service that is running chronically late, top the agenda.

The ferry Island Home made her way down Vineyard Sound from Fairhaven and into the Vineyard Haven harbor Thursday afternoon, signaling a possible return to normalcy for the Steamship Authority.

An unprecedented series of equipment failures that has crippled the Steamship Authority for most of the past month was a “perfect storm” of events that could not have been foreseen, the boat line port council heard Wednesday.

The ferry Woods Hole has been cleared for service and is expected to return to the Vineyard route after two days of trials on the Nantucket route, Steamship Authority general manager Bob Davis said.

With two main Vineyard ferries laid up in Fairhaven, the Steamship Authority said it would continue to use a privately-contracted high-speed passenger service to the Island at least through midweek.