I can remember hearing of a couple of 24 hr sailings in recent decades - one being, I think a Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, where the boat sat just off Douglas Head as it was too rough to come in.

Had a fun midnight crossing to Heysham one Summer in late 70s/early 80s - was it the white Stella Marina or her successor? It was very busy and we had to sit in the cafeteria (reputedly the next most stable place to the Bar). It was so rough that several times when people put down their plate of food it had shot off onto the floor before they had sat down. Everyone seemed to be in good humour and it was certainly entertaining.

Yes, sorry. Not genealogy!