Sailing fanatic Stuart Budden is riding on the crest of a wave after having a kidney transplant.

He is so grateful for his new-found zest for life since the operation that he is spreading the message of organ donation the only way he knows how - by taking to the seas.

Sailing has been Stuart's number one passion ever since he first took the helm as a youngster living in Lyme Regis.

But the former Woodroffe School pupil had to put his favourite pastime on hold when he was diagnosed with renal failure in both kidneys two years ago.

"It was a shock to know two of the organs that keep you alive have packed up. It impacts on everything in your life," he said.

To stay alive, he was linked up to a dialysis machine four times a day, which cleansed his blood by pumping fluid into his body.

Stuart, 34, said he "felt like death most of the time" but managed to follow his beloved sport by watching races from the shore between treatment sessions.

He was put on a list for a kidney transplant but was told that a donor would be difficult to find because his blood group was rare.

His mum even stepped forward to donate her kidney but before tests on her were completed, a suitable donor was found and Stuart underwent the transplant last September - with profound effects.

He said: "I feel resurrected. Life has gone back to near normal. The operation was scary, exciting and mind-numbing all at the same time.

"If people fully understood the difference a transplanted organ can make to someone like me, there wouldn't be a debate about donating organs.

"I feel like a whole new man and that is down to the generosity of the donor and her family. Now I want to give something back."

Stuart is promoting the message of organ donation as he embarks on a tour of regattas around the country - including Lyme Regis Regatta in August - in a 14foot Supernova racing dinghy.

His new boat has a giant organ donor card emblazoned on its mainsail and is sponsored by NHS UK Transplant - the health authority that manages the national organ donor register.

He has named the boat Gift of Life in reference to his life-changing transplant and will be handing out leaflets encouraging people to join the register.

Stuart is a technical service manager and now lives in Bristol with his partner Liz Harrison but regularly visits his sister in Lyme Regis and his dad in Charmouth.

Anyone who wants to know more about organ donation should call 0845 60 60 400 or visit www.uktransplant.org.uk