Yar

Yar is a difficult-to-translate nautical term and concept, which can be taken generally to be an expression of how "intensively nautical" something or someone may be. The frame of reference is usually based on the historical, romanticized idea of sailing during the period of its heyday, from the 1600s to the late 1800s. For instance, a clipper ship would be considered "yar", but a small modern motorboat would not. By the same token, particular items that imbue an "old-world, ocean-going sailing" frame of reference could also have the term applied: a sailing vessel with baggy wrinkle might be considered more "yar" than a newer-style vessel without. A nautical cleat made from bronze might be considered more "yar" than a modern version made from stainless steel, simply because bronze was the material of choice on sailing vessels during the romanticized period.

At its most general and philisophical, Yar could be construed as a conceptual reference to anything sailing-related that implies how "tough" and "sea-worthy" a person, vessel or piece of equipment may be. The less concrete examples of usage become more difficult to define: a joyous feeling that accompanies sailing a vessel to windward and tasting the salt sea-spray, would fall well within the boundaries of the term.

Note: Yar is not related to the sounds often made by pirates when depicted in modern popular culture ("yarr!"). It is a very old and legitimate term for the expression of a particular ideal, but is used only within a small population of modern sailers and can be somewhat impenetrable to outsiders.

"My, she was yar...It means, uh...easy to handle, quick to the helm, fast, right. Everything a boat should be, until she develops dry rot." - Tracey (Katharine Hepburn), The Philadelphia Story (1940)