Are drones at the point yet where I can simply switch it on at the beach and have it track me autonomously as I windsurf along and then it automatically returns back to the beach when its battery gets low?

I'm thinking in terms of "fire n forget" type so at the end I just pick it up off the beach when I'm done and pack it away with the rest of my gear at the end of the session?

www.airdog.com/sport/windsurf

Oh wow....read my mind! Does anyone have any real world experience? Sounds too good to be true but I want to believe

only $2000 - that's a NEW board for me
if I buy one , perhaps I can rent it out ??

Around the $2000 mark, give or take, you get some pretty good gear. Check the life of your battery because it may not be as long as you think. As a price comparison, the drones used for professional work are bigger, cost $4000+ and carry a much more expensive camera.