I think we've all done it, and have all gotten away with it, or we wouldn't be typing on this message board.
As a kid, I delivered boats around New England from time to time, and a long day often left you with an entry into a new harbor at night. Boasun's right, with the right tools you can minimize the risks, but it's still a whole lot riskier than waiting til daylight.
If you have to do it, don't hesitate to get on the
VHF and ask for local advice, it will help and also someone will know you're trying to get in, in case anything goes wrong. Of course, back when I was doing this, most of the boats had nothing but a magnetic
compass, no
radio, no depth sounder. It kept things interesting..