Captain Vassilis always believed that “taking fills your hands, but giving fills your heart.” Alongside his environmental activism, he also became involved in various causes such as seamanship, Hellenism, Orthodoxy, and education. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Greek and international organizations, and was many times recognized and awarded for his activities and contribution, by significant entities such as the Academy of Athens, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the seven Chambers of the Peloponnese, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, the Entrepreneurs’ Club, and many others.
In 2005, after 57 years of service, Captain Vassilis announced that he would be retiring in order to devote more time to his wife, Carmen, and his then-newborn grandchildren, leaving the management and administration of the companies to his three sons. On 25 January, 2011, he embarked on his final journey, having had many grandchildren and having fulfilled many of his plans and dreams, on both land and sea.