Her boat is not what I would even consider sailing around the world in.
She needed a Westsail 32 not a fin keel racing sloop.
Poor planing to sail the Southern Ocean in that boat.
Aye. She picked a boat for speed instead of a deep-hull that could handle big waves. That boat would be mega-fun in the Bahamas...South Africa, not so much.
Moreover, her *first* trip through that area should have been with an experienced sailor on board with her and a buddy boat sailing near her.
Solo sailing is too dangerous for me. My personal choice is to sail with a buddy. Better still, with a companion boat on the deep ocean.
The giant ocean freighters will often lose a container overboard. Catch one of those semi-submerged and poof...no more hull on your little sailboat.