hi steve,
on both issues I agree, the nylon/velcro strap is one of the best straps for comfortable wearing, but the "smell and wet" factor can be a little troublesome. however, I made good results with a wet strap just to "hit" the watch (the strap) on a towel and dry it this way. it usually then only takes a few minutes (back on the wrist) until the rest of the water evaporates.
about the smell: I tried a few cleaning procedures but in the end the easiest worked best. just put the watch along with your clothes in the washing machine - thats it. the only thing to care about is that you don't wash with a temperature higher than 60° celsius. after that, the watch looks and smells like new
besides, the spin-dry of the washer is of course a pretty good "G-test" for the watch :-d :-d :-d
regards, holger