Marine Atlantic has confirmed that hundreds of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will not be making it home for Christmas Eve.

The lunchtime crossings have been scrubbed, as were last night’s, meaning that there will be four departures late tonight. As the trip usually takes about six hours, that puts the arrivals to about daybreak Christmas Day.

The Blue Puttees, with 446 people aboard and just outside Port aux Basques, turned around and went back to North Sydney yesterday. A generator was presenting some problems, so the captain felt more confident about docking in North Sydney than on the Newfoundland side of the Gulf.

The winds are forecast to subside by this evening, allowing the vessels to resume services.

Electrical utilities are warning residents to prepare for potential power outages, and airline departure boards at the St. John’s and Halifax airport were indicating delays and cancellations of some flights, particularly those headed west.