How many people can a topsail schooner carry?

Answer 1

The short answer would be that it depends. On quite a few factors. Not the least of which is size. A 15' topsail schooner could carry 1-3, a 150' would obviously carry more. The terminology "topsail schooner" only refers to the ship's sail plan, and can therefore be a ship of any size. And while this typically refers to a ship with two masts, the term has also been applied to those with more than two.

However assuming we knew the size then it depends on the layout of the ship. How open is the deck, what are the sleeping accommodations ect. If the ship is designed almost exclusively for day sailing it can obviously carry more people than if it was designed with cabins for each of its passengers.

As an example, the 148' Windy II (Could be called a Topsail Schooner, but it is technically a Barquentine) can accommodate 150 passengers for chartered cruises.

But in comparison, the 143' Bluenose II (Not a topsail schooner, just a regular schooner) only accommodates 75 passengers.

Anyways, I'm sorry that it isn't probably the answer you wanted, but I do hope that it at least helps!