Help With Book Title?

[monkeygirl74]

OK, this is driving me mad! I read this book & now I can't remember the title, from this description can anyone tell me who wrote it?

A young boy living in South East England in the 1950s/60s lives with his mother and after witnessing a man drowning in the sea (he was in a rowing boat with two children) he befriends a fisherman who teaches him the ways of the sea. His mother isn't very nice and his father is out of the picture although he has a step-father and brother and sister who aren't that nice to him. His brother then gets sent away to school, the boy then moves with his mother to another town nearby and his grandmother, who is going blind moves in with them. The boy also befriends a young girl who is interested in nature and the boy learns all the names of flowers and plants. He also gets sent away to school and the master isn't very nice but he has a nice English teacher. There's also a sub-story about his brother's abuse. I think it's partly autobiographical too. Please help!