while capable, an Open 40 is a handful even for experienced sailors. And while capable, no where near as foolproof in weather as a more conservative choice. Disaster wasn't inevitable, just highly probable. Many a foolhardy voyage has been undertaken, and completed with good luck. Like those, this one depended on a very large share of good luck to complete. The luck ran out before landfall.

Would you have knowingly sailed into the Southern Ocean, in winter, in a hastily prepared Open 40?