B737 FLT CREW GETS CONCERNED WITH VECTORS OFF COAST OF LONG ISLAND WHEN THE ACFT APPEARS TO BE EXCEEDING THE 50 NM LIMIT RESTR BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF OVERWATER EMER FLOTATION DEVICES; ON FREQ WITH ZNY; NY.

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ON FLT TO ISP; FO FLYING. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL UP TO THE POINT IN WHICH ZNY STARTED TO VECTOR US OFF COURSE; JUST N OF ATLANTIC CITY FOR TFC. ZNY TURNED US TO A HDG OF 95 DEGS. WE WERE ON THIS HDG FOR AWHILE WHEN THE CAPT ASKED HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE BE ON THIS HDG AND IF HE KNEW THAT COMPANY COULD NOT GO OFF SHORE MORE THAN 50 NM. THE CTR CTLR SAID THAT HE DID NOT KNOW THIS AND HE WILL HAVE A TURN FOR US IN A LITTLE BIT. WE WERE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE 50 NM OFFSHORE WHEN THE CAPT TOLD ZNY AGAIN THAT WE CANNOT GO PAST 50 NM. CTR FINALLY GAVE US A NEW HDG OF 85 DEGS. THEN ABOUT 1 MIN LATER; GAVE US DIRECT SARDI. AS WE TURNED BACK TO THE SHORE; THE ACFT'S RADAR WAS ON AND WE PAINTED THE SHORE AROUND 60 NM AWAY. THE CAPT ASKED FOR A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL ZNY AND THEY GOT VERY IRRITATED AND UNPROFESSIONAL TOWARDS US FOR QUESTIONING THEM. ZNY SAID WE WERE TYING UP THEIR FREQ AND TO CONTACT ZBW. AFTER THE FREQ CHANGE; EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO NORMAL AND WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AT LONG ISLAND. I BELIEVE IF WE DID NOT QUESTION ATC; THEY WOULD HAVE HAD US OFF SHORE MUCH FURTHER THAN WE WERE. I THINK THAT THIS ATC CTLR NOT KNOWING THAT COMPANY CANNOT GO PAST 50 NM OFFSHORE CAUSED THIS EVENT TO HAPPEN. SUPPLEMENT INFO FROM ACN 587543: PASSING OVER THE COAST ON J121; ATC GAVE US A EASTERLY HDG FOR TFC. HIS REPLY WAS I WILL HAVE YOU BACK ON COURSE SOON. I ASKED HOW MANY MI? THERE WAS NO REPLY. I WAS USING THE RADAR AND FIXES NEAR THE COAST TO DETERMINE HOW FAR OFF WE WERE AND I BELIEVED WE WERE GETTING CLOSE. ATC GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE TO ZBW AND SAID I WAS TYING UP 'HIS' FREQ BY GIVING HIM A LESSON. (VERY RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL.) IT IS VERY HARD TO TELL EXACTLY HOW FAR OFFSHORE YOU ARE WHICH IS WHY I WAS ASKING ATC HOW MUCH LONGER ON THE HDG THAT WAS RAPIDLY TAKING US FARTHER OUT. SINCE THE HDG WAS FOR TFC; I FELT I COULDN'T JUST REFUSE THE VECTOR AND TURN BACK. WE GOT NO HELP FROM ATC. I THINK THEY NEED TO BE AWARE THAT WE ARE NOT OVERWATER EQUIPPED. ROUTING ALONG J121 ALREADY TAKES US ABOUT 30 NM OFFSHORE AND ANY EASTERLY HDG WILL ALMOST SURELY TAKE YOU BEYOND 50 NM.