I think that only really applies when the sails were set from aloft. I'm familiar with square-rigged cargo vessels of around 60ft in the UK that were crewed by 2.
Yes, more modern versions of square rigs (using motors, or designed without the yards -- again, spinnakers) do have vastly reduced need for the crew. But I was focusing on traditional rigs.
I think that only really applies when the sails were set from aloft. I'm familiar with square-rigged cargo vessels of around 60ft in the UK that were crewed by 2.