Outdoorgearlab.com made this quote about the Soto Windmaster: "
The WindMaster has respectable boil times. With no wind, it boiled a liter of water in 4 minutes. In front of a fan blowing 2-4 mph, it boiled one liter of water in 5 minutes and 46 seconds, for an average boil time of 4 minutes 53 seconds. In this test, it wasn't the fastest — especially when compared with integrated canister stoves — but it wasn't the slowest either."
I tried the lowest setting. The boil time seemed like an eternity. Perhaps there was confusion between a "boil" and "simmer" setting, or maybe cool ambient temperatures was the cause. Will have to do more outings to determine how low it can go before practically sets in.
The wiping of the pot was done with a super thin Walmart reusable cloth that possessed minimal absorptive properties. Moisture removal was so minimal I started to carry the stove in a separate part of my backpack. Perhaps this was a little too ultralight.
New plan is to upgrade the cloth to one with more robust absorption qualities.
Appreciate all of the excellent suggestions.