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The route that took her through the storms that dismasted the boat was chosen to avoid the hazards of piracy in the Red sea area. Had she taken that route and been captured by pirates, you would likely have declared that she should have sailed around the horn.

The Red Sea/Gulf of Aden is 10°N. Pirates mainly frequent from there to the Equator. Some attacks in the open ocean down to 10°S. a mere handful in the Mozambique channel down to 15°S. None below.

She was at freakin 41°S! Why way down there instead of the 30-35°S previous teen sailors crossed the Indian? The only reason was Time(and the magazine too). If she was to get famous by becoming the unrecognised "youngest RTW sailor" holder, she had to make Marina Del Ray in 18 weeks - 12000nm.

And she's not a good sailor: without strong winds astern, she can barely make 100nm/day. And most of the rest of the voyage she won't even do that in the Pacific against prevailing head winds - her boat doesn't do head winds at all.

The only hope of Team Sunderland was to put her down in the roaring forties in winter and pray her boat didn't break. They went All In on the boat and her life.