I am guessing that the OP wanted the seat more forward and this was the way to compensate for the relaxed angle of the seat tube. It puts the seat closer to where it would be on a modern road bike.

To the OP:
Try turning your handlebars down just a little bit so they are more parallel with the ground. That will give you a little more distance out over the wheel. With older bike like this, it's tougher to get your weight out over the front wheel because of the relaxed geometry. Having the bars parallel to the ground might also give you a better platform to rest your hand on when all your weight is on them.

It took me a long time to figure out the whole skidding thing. You have to use a particular set of muscles in a way that is foreign to them. The more you can lean out over the front wheel, the less resistance you have to provide to the pedals. Make sure that you are both pushing down with the back leg and pulling up with the front leg. Having each side of your body applying opposite forces will tend to make it want to twist, and you have to resist this with your core.