I guess there will always be rotten apples... I just did not expect to find one within our windsurfing community.
Matt, I too was once this naive. But our windsurfing community is just like any other community. While I've yet to identify a thief, I have been a victim, and I've also met many other kinds of "bad apples"; we have some rude, arrogant @##holes, snobs, psychos, racists, a con artist, you name it...even a few kitesurfers...but we have lots of "good apples" as well.
Good luck getting your equipment back. Hope you kick some butt!