Less than six months after voting to end paid advertising aboard its ferries, the Steamship Authority board of governors rescinded the decision Monday.

The Steamship Authority’s M/V Island Home was back in service Friday after a tumultuous few days of travel ahead of the Christmas in Edgartown celebrations.

The Steamship Authority this week sold off the M/V Gay Head, just days before the M/V Barnstable is set to make its first trip to Nantucket.

The planned departure of Mark Higgins comes less than two years after he was hired, and is right on the heels of general manager Robert Davis’s announcement that he will step down next year and take on a consulting role.

Cancellations and diversions, elusive reservations, crew shortages and the slow progress toward a new Steamship Authority website were among the top concerns expressed by some three dozen Islanders who spoke during the two-hour public forum.

Ferry travel between the Islands and Cape Cod will cost more for nearly everyone next year, after the Steamship Authority board of governors voted 3-1 Tuesday morning to approve the 2025 operating budget.

The Steamship Authority is parting ways with its chief operating officer following his resignation this week.

The steam engine from the old Martha’s Vineyard ferry Nobska is now on display at its permanent home, the New England Wireless and Steam Museum in East Greenwich, R.I.

To relieve congestion at the Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven terminals, Steamship Authority management this week recommended extending the boat line’s reservations-only policy to year-round — effectively ending stand-by travel for motorists visiting Martha’s Vineyard.