Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Located between the states of Nayarit and Jalisco, Mexico's Bay of Banderas is one of the most beautiful of its kind in the world. In fact, it is part of "The Most Beautiful Bays of the World Club," based in France.

Besides being the country's largest bay, the Bay of Banderas receives the flow from the Ameca River, which is for all intents and purposes the border that divides the two states and their resort cities: Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco and Nuevo Vallarta in Nayarit.

The Bay of Banderas is ideal for the practice of sailing sports of every kind. Its unique characteristics make it the perfect host destination for world-class sailing events such as the Biannual Copa Mexico Regatta, which includes J24, Láser, Optimist, Kite Surf, WindSurf, Club 420, Oceánica and Wesmex classes; the annual Wind Festival kitesurfing competition in Bucerías, and the Optimist North American Sailing Championships.

If you know sailing, here's some more technical info courtesy of kitesurfvacation.com:

• Dominant winds: W. Respect to shore: side-onshore Best direction: SW, W.
• It blows during the afternoon
• Best season: March, April, May and June
• Windy season is from January to June, after that the sea is so warm there's no breeze
• It is usually onshore but sometimes swings to the west a little
• The wind is always from sea breezes and is from 5-20 mph
• Usually starts around 12-1 pm and on a good day continues until sunset, 7-8 pm
• You can get out 4-5 days a week easily in the windy season

You can rent equipment for kitesurfing, windsurfing or even catamarans at local hotels or right on the beach. There are also specialty schools that can teach you the best techniques to ply the waters of the Banderas Bay.

If you'd rather take a tour on a luxury sailboat during the day or at sunset, we recommend you check with your hotel's concierge or your travel agent. There are several tours available, so get your sun block ready and prepare to weigh anchor!