Am I making progress? RS600

Since you've got a specific handling issue, are you starting to tackle it by asking specific questions to 600 sailors (ie what are the specifics about the way they handle this situation - for example have they found that the vang setting is critical in this situation?) and then setting specific times to practice on the specific problem? Even when I was learning the Laser I had days when I stuck it in every high-wind open-water gybe, until I rang up my brother (ex national Laser team sailor) who spotted the problem over the phone and cured it straight away.

It sounds like you're trying to learn boathandling in a race, which is problematic in this sort of boat (or at least, problematic in the International Canoe which is the only comparable thing I've sailed). The family was away when I bought my Canoe, so for two weeks I just went out sailing every day on a small uncrowded waterway after work and fell into until I could handle it. 

As others have noted, from a historical viewpoint and perhaps from a design viewpoint as well, the whole "one-rig skiff" idea is an aberration. A one-rig skiff misses out on the thing that historically 

made skiff sailing practical for the typical club sailor, which is the ability to change down from the big rig.