SYDNEY -- Thirty-seven people were Tuesday airlifted from a stricken yacht off Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the second dramatic rescue from wild seas in two days, police said.

Two helicopters were used to winch the passengers and crew from the 18-metre yacht (60-foot) stranded in the Whitsunday Islands in the western state of Queensland, they said.

Heavy rain, strong winds and large seas forced rescuers to abandon plans to use boats or ropes to bring the passengers to shore.

"The decision has been made by the helicopter pilot to winch directly from the boat," Whitsunday police senior sergeant Steve O'Connell told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"So far, very successfully, no injuries."

Overnight police pulled a family of six, including four children, to safety after their yacht slipped its moorings in gale-force winds and smashed into rocks at nearby Airlie Beach.

Three police entered the water from rocks about 10 meters from the yacht to help the children, aged 10, seven, four and two, and their parents to safety.

"As the rescue attempt continued the yacht was taking in water fast and falling apart," Queensland police said in a statement.

"The police efforts were hindered by the rocks and the ropes became tangled around one of the officers, dragging him underwater."

All escaped with minor injuries but the yacht was smashed against the rocks and completely destroyed, just as the family reached shore.