Another mast issue

Noticed as I was washing down the boat last Sunday, that the bottom of the mast had a chip of wood sticking out!

I have no idea how this happened? I spoke with Scott Cain, who fixed the mast last time. He said he can fix. But is also puzzled as to how this could happen.
 The shrouds are a little long. Having stretched since the boat arrived. I plan on cutting them to be about 9 inches shorter. I can then lace the rope and tension a little better. I wonder if the mast is not being restrained enough by the back stays and the mast is pulling forward in downwind situations.  I will have to investigate further. Maybe post a question on the Swallow Boats forum.
  Well, I will be off the water for a couple of weeks until this can be fixed. Scott is out of town this week. I will call him Monday to set up an appointment to get it fixed.

June 9th, 2014.
Update.
I took the mast down to Scott Cain, who originally fixed the mast. He glued it back together and added a stainless steel collar around the base of the mast. He routed it in, so the surface is flush with the wood mast. Nice job. We will see if this works! Any more issues and I may just get a carbon fiber mast from Swallow Boats!