The races will take place in the Sea of Cortez off of Sandy Beach near the Sonoran Sky Resort and Playa Bonita Hotel. Puerto Penasco offers preeminent sailing for beach cats, with an endless sandy beach, warm water, consistent winds, 350 days of sunshine, and of course, fantastic people.

- Early Registration (prior to June 21) - $350 - Regular Registration - $400 Late Registration (after August 9th - $450)

-  Other activities may be announced

September is Will Month and in Mexico there is a program called, not surprisingly, the September Will Month in which people are encouraged to have a will and to prepare one if they don't. In Mexico if you do not have a will for your heirs to acquire the rights to your property, both Real Estate and personal, it can be difficult and/or time consuming for heirs to claim their inheritance. To encourage everyone to be protected, the government created this program in which they dramatically reduce the price of preparing a will. The cost is usually between $50-$150 US and this applies to all of Mexico. Quite often, the special pricing is extended to October, but September is the official month for this program. 

Since September is upon us, you have just enough time to give some thought to if you would like to have a will in Mexico, provided that you already own personal or real property in this country.

According to  Gerardo González, an attorney and senior partner at Mexlaw, a Playa del Carmen based law firm, it is important to have a will in Mexico, even if you do not reside here full time and even if you already have a will in another country. Here are his answers to a couple common questions:

If I have a will in the USA or Canada, will it protect me in Mexico?

"You could probate the will that you already have in the US or Canada. We have several agreements with these countries that allow Mexican authorities to recognize the legal documents of those 2 countries. If you probate your will in Canada or the USA, you could send the proved document to the Mexican court, they will get the instructions for the next steps to be taken. The better idea is to create a Mexican will for a specific property to use specifically for inheritance to your heirs. 

As for Real Estate, normally foreigners buy through a bank trust or a Mexican corporation. In the bank trust there is already a part in the deed that you appoint your heirs. Basically you tell the bank in case you die who should receive the rights to the property. If something happens to you there's a process to follow for your beneficiaries to acquire those rights with this property. I always recommend to have the same person as a beneficiary on the deed of your bank trust and your will. Sometimes a person has a will elsewhere, but comes to Mexico and appoints someone else rights to the property on the bank trust. To avoid any legal disputes, you should have the same beneficiary on your bank trust as your beneficiary back home in the USA or Canada."

What happens if there are different names on the will and the bank trust?

"This would be a litigation dispute and you would need to take those documents and compare them to see who is going to have the rights. To avoid that, I recommend using the same names in order to avoid litigation. If they have a property here in Mexico and not back home in the US or Canada since they sold everything, it would be better to have a Mexican will to avoid going to the courts of both countries."

Not fun to think about but it's best to be prepared, so plan ahead and take advantage of September Will Month. There are several attorneys and Notarios in town who will be happy to help you prepare and record your last will and testament. Let me know if you need a recommendation.

A new aqueduct capable of supplying nearly one thousand 500 million cubic meters per year is under evaluation by authorities in Sonora and Arizona, with support from academic and scientific institutions Mexico and the United States.

In the study "Desalination and water security in the border region between the US and Mexico: assessing the social, environmental and political," the researchers analyze the effects of scarcity, economic and climate in the desalinated water produced.

The project consists of a pipeline of 270 kilometers from Puerto Penasco, Sonora, to the Imperial Dam, located north of Yuma, Arizona, near the intersections with the states of California and Nevada.

 "Although water desalination is still the most expensive option on the table, its appeal continues to grow, especially since costs have decreased by around 50% in the last decade," said lead author Margaret Wilder, professor Development Center and Geography at the University of Arizona.

The governments of both countries expect a variety of factors increase water shortages throughout the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Because of this scenario, states like Arizona, California and Nevada are considering plans to partner with Mexico build desalination plants near the bi-national border.

According to Wilder, she and her colleagues felt the need to develop the study because, while the promoters desalination agencies often have this option as inevitable, desalination requires a critical examination beyond a simple cost-benefit analysis.

However, he added, the political, social, economic and environmental implications require an extra evaluation.

The team conducted a case study of proposed desalination plant in the Mexican Gulf of California in Puerto Penasco, Sonora. Wilder and colleagues investigated the proposed water plant interviewing officials and operators, making a documentary research, and by conducting workshops with state and local actors.

Improving efficiency, water reuse and other long-term sustainable alternatives should it be used before resorting to desalination he said.

In addition, although the US and Mexico have a recent history of friendly sharing of water, it requires sustained cooperation between countries and guaranteed water supply to be long term, he said.

Here is the introduction and link to the study: