Yep, that sounds familiar to me!  Search for my earlier posts on my skerry sailing learning curve.  I'm coming down from bigger, fin keel sloops and it's way different.  You really have to sail through irons with some speed in those conditions.  I even get to practice some of the roll tacking I used to know in Laser/Sunfish a lifetime ago.  And sometimes it just ain't happening.  Reef that lugsail early.  It gets grossly overpowered above 12 knots true which just adds to the challenge.

It took me a while to learn how to sail my Skerry through a tack.  You want to fall off a bit first to gain some headway, of course, but the Skerry is so light that she doesn’t have a lot of momentum.  Putting the rudder over hard introduces a lot of drag, which slows her down pretty quick.  I am much more successful if I don’t try to come about quite so abruptly.  And sometimes I have no alternative other than a controlled jibe if I’m getting too close to shore or to another boat.  Practice, practice, practice.

hokker

   Yep, jibing around is sometimes the thing.  "Wearing ship" as it was called in olden days.  That's when you need to have the reef in if it's blowing.  The skerry is so light, if you are overcanvassed, the lug sail has too much turning moment against the rudder and it won't jibe cleanly.  I accelerated past hull speed creating a hole between bow and stern waves and the rig tried to drive the boat down in to the hole in the water. I didn't have time to get the sail centered like I would on a keelboat.

   Yes, that happened to me y'day, when doing a tack, having to wear ship instead, due to sudden high winds.  I'd forgotten to shift my butt over to the windward side, and so, gulp, gulp, in came a few gallons of water.  I'd done several of these long-way-around tacks already y'day, and had become too lackadaisical about it. Oh well.

As to conventional tacking, falling off first, yes, does help. At least 2+ mph speed on the gps.  As well, be sure to let the mainsheet go, at the beginning of the tack, so that the sail provides no drag, during the turn through the wind.  If you hold onto the main during the tack, it'll only impede the turn through the wind.  

Last but not least, have a paddle handy.  W/no engine aboard, no pride lost in forcing her over to the other side with a few well timed strokes of the wooden auxiliary.  

To Mummichog re reefing early, after y'day, am in total agreement.  Was out in 5 to 15 for 3 hrs, and with a reef tied in, for first time while out in my Skerry, found the sailing to be considerably better than with no reef.