A Trio of PWCs Rescued a Family After Their Sailboat Capsized, Including a Mom and Kids

People can be good.

By: Robbie Bacon

Jul 22, 2025 at 7:09am ET

Add RideApart as a preferred source in Google

Comment

Unfortunately, all the personal watercraft (PWC) news that has passed my desk recently has been about absolutely avoidable fatalities or unlawful conduct toward a minor. Basically, PWCs haven't been having a good time in the media lately, and that's a shame because they're unbelievably fun.

And, thankfully, I've come across a story that shows they can be lifesavers in the right hands, too.

Three PWC riders, Jerry Jacobiak, his son-in-law Jackson Michalak, and his grandson Tucker, were riding when they came upon people in need of rescue in the waters of Lake Erie when their sailboat capsized. After some decisive action, the trio saved a mother and her two children from the water, and, from the sounds of it, the riders couldn't have come a moment too soon.

In an interview with Cleveland19, Jacobiak described the moment of the rescue, saying, "She stretched her hand out, I grabbed onto her fingertips and then I kind of pulled her to the side of my jet ski where she could grab onto it and then I instantly reached for the baby that was screaming, cause the waves were washing over the baby’s face,"

What do you think?

View

Comments

After the mother and children hopped on the PWCs, they were brought to shore and safety. Miraculously, none of the members of the capsized boat reported any injuries. After the trio of riders dropped the unnamed passengers of the sailboat off, they simply parted ways, making it seem like it's all in a day in the life of a PWC rider.

If you've ever witnessed or been a part of any PWC rescues, we want to hear about it. These fun and evidently life-saving machines can get a bad wrap from time to time, but it's clearly more about the rider than the machine itself. Let's spread the word about more positive PWC stories.