A B737-800 FLC GETS AN UPDATE FROM ZNY WHEN THEY ARE FLYING OFF COURSE; NOT ON THE SID RTE; ON DEP FROM EWR; NJ.

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DEPARTED EWR ON THE SELBY 1 RNAV DEP. AFTER FLYING OVER FISLA INTXN; WE STARTED TO FLY DIRECTLY TO THE WHITE INTXN. WE FAILED TO FLY OVER ELVAE INTXN; OR THE COL VOR. IT WASN'T UNTIL ZNY INFORMED US THAT WE WERE OFF COURSE THAT WE REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. EVEN THEN IT TOOK US A COUPLE OF MINS TO FIGURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. ATC VECTORED US BACK ONTO THE DEP; AND GAVE US A CLB CLRNC. ATC ALSO POINTED OUT TFC; BUT WE NEVER SAW HIM. WE ARE NOT SURE IF OUR ERROR CAUSED; OR WOULD HAVE CAUSED; A CONFLICT. IT WAS NOT MENTIONED. IT WAS THE FO'S LEG; AND HE PROGRAMMED THE FMS. THE FO HAS ONLY ABOUT 40 HRS SINCE IOE; BUT WE FLEW TOGETHER THE PREVIOUS WK; AND HE HAD NO PROBS IN THIS AREA. I DID CHK THE RTE PAGE TO SEE IF IT MATCHED OUR PDC; AND IT DID. IT SHOWED THE SELBY 1 DEP WITH THE WHITE TRANSITION. I DID NOT CHK THE LEGS PAGES TO SEE IF ALL THE FIXES WERE THERE. I WILL NEXT! I DO NOT KNOW HOW THOSE 2 FIXES (ELVAE AND COL) GOT DROPPED; BUT THEY DID; AND AS A RESULT WE GOT OFF COURSE. ALTHOUGH NOT THE CAUSE OF THIS SIT; WE WERE DISTR BY POTABLE WATER NOT WORKING; A COCKPIT PA MIKE NOT WORKING; AND NO ACCULOAD BEING AVAILABLE. ALL THESE ISSUES WERE RESOLVED BEFORE WE PUSHED BACK; BUT BECAUSE WE HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM WE HAD NO EXTRA TIME WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE CAUGHT THIS PROB. WE FAILED TO CHK THE WAYPOINTS ON THE LEGS PAGES TO THE ACTUAL DEP RTE; AND ONCE AIRBORNE; STILL DID NOT DOUBLECHK THE LEGS PAGE. WE MADE AN ERROR PROGRAMMING THE FMS; THEN BECAME COMPLACENT. WE ASSUMED THAT ONCE WE SELECTED LNAV ONCE AIRBORNE THAT THE ACFT WOULD FLY THE CORRECT RTE. UNFORTUNATELY THE OLD SAYING APPLIES; 'GARBAGE IN; GARBAGE OUT.' THE AIRPLANE DID EXACTLY WHAT WE TOLD IT TO DO. AFTER FURTHER REFLECTION ON THIS PREVIOUSLY RPTED INCIDENT; IT IS MY BELIEF THAT WHILE PROGRAMMING THE FMS A DISCONTINUITY APPEARED SOMEWHERE IN THE SELBY DEP. WHEN IT WAS CLOSED SOME WAYPOINTS WERE DROPPED. THIS IS HOW WE GOT OFF COURSE. ALTHOUGH THE FO PROGRAMMED THE FMS FOR THIS FLT; HE IS NEW TO THE AIRPLANE; AND I SHOULD HAVE DONE A MORE COMPLETE CHK OF HIS PROGRAMMING.